Labor Year: Evaluating Rob Manfred ‘s Wish List

The 2020 season was the most difficult season for Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred since he took over the league in 2015. Manfred had to deal with the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, health and safety procedures, and sparred with the MLB Players Association over finances and scheduling. Despite having to navigate all of these obstacles, MLB was able to complete a 60 game schedule, and successfully completed the playoffs and the World Series. Though it is expected that the 2021 season will go more smoothly as the league prepares to take on the challenges of playing a full 162 game season while still dealing with a pandemic, Manfred might still have to deal with a contentious MLBPA, when the collective bargaining agreement expires in December. It will be the second time since Manfred took over that a new CBA will need to be negotiated. Having avoided a work-stoppage in 2015 with ease, it might not be so easy this time around, and a labor strike may be imminent. Rob Manfred’s biggest challenge as commissioner could be right around the corner.

Since 2015, Manfred has floated sweeping changes to the game every offseason, but none of them gained any serious traction, especially with the Players Association that has solidly rejected them. It’s very likely things won’t be any different this year, but with a new CBA coming, Manfred must try to make his case at least one more time.

Here’s a complete breakdown of Rob Manfred’s wish list and how it will affect the game:

• Shorter season
  • The current number of regular-season games is 162, and teams play every day with some days built in for travel. Even though it’s exciting to play this many games, and the grind of showing up every day and playing leaves no room for excuses should a team miss the playoffs, the game isn’t the same as it used to be when guys like Cal Ripken Jr. played every day. Teams are now limiting playing time for their starters to prevent injury or fatigue. It works well for teams who do make the playoffs because they have players well-rested, but not playing your “A” team every day makes it less exciting for the fans.
  • Rob Manfred has a remedy for that. He wants a schedule that would be in the 150 to 158 game range with more built-in off days. The built-in off days would allow the season to still last from April to September. Basically playing a shorter season in the same time frame with incentive for teams to have their best players in every game.
  • For this to happen, Manfred will have to offer up better incentives in the new CBA to convince players to take a reduction in pay.
• Robot strike zone
  • The idea behind the robot strike zone is to provide accuracy to the game.
  • Many oppose it because it ruins the “human element” and how games rarely depend on the most accurate calls, but if important games like a game seven of the world series was decided by one pitch at the plate, wouldn’t fans want the assurance that the call was correct in the most important game of the season? I would. After all, a game seven isn’t just the most important game of the year. We’re talking about history and the type of game where a person gets to tell others, “I remember where I was when…”  
  • We already have a replay review system to try to mitigate mistake calls, why not go the extra mile and give home plate umpires a useful tool to make calls at the plate easier and accurate? There’s no reason not to, especially if the integrity of the game is important.
• Enforced pitching clock
  • One of Rob Manfred’s continuous goals is to have the pace of play accelerated. Having a clock between pitches that forces pitchers to pitch the ball quickly could help Manfred achieve that goal.
  • The first problem with the pitch clock is that it would put more pitchers at risk of getting injured.
  • The other problem is that it takes strategy away from the game. Pitchers usually like to take their time going through signs from the catcher to make sure runners on base can’t figure out the sign system. The pitch clock won’t give pitchers the time to read signs and could lead to sloppy plays defensively.
• Universal DH
  • MLB already experimented with the universal DH rule in the 2020 season that was shortened due to the pandemic. It worked for the situation the league was facing, but fans weren’t too receptive to it, and Manfred will have to face the heat if he were to make that change permanent.
  • It’s unclear what position the MLBPA will take when it comes to the universal DH in the new CBA, but they could oppose out of spite towards Rob Manfred and the owners.
• Minor league realignment
  • This one is simple. The Minor League Baseball situation is not great. It’s a money pit right now. The best thing to do is shut down certain minor league clubs.
  • The question remains whether the Players Association will agree to minor league contraction. If they don’t approve, MLB will have to consider ways to relocate minor league affiliates so that they are located in close proximity to their major league club.
• 7-inning doubleheaders
  • This has been a major talking point for Rob Manfred for a long time and was finally implemented last year as a way to easily reschedule games that were postponed due to covid-19 infections among major league clubs, and it worked.
  • It worked so well that they are bringing it back this year. If successful again, there’s no reason to believe it won’t eventually become permanent.
  • It’s possible that once we’re finally out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic that 7-inning doubleheaders will go away, but unlikely. It’s here to stay.
• Extra inning rule changes
  • Another rule that was put into place last year was giving each team an automatic runner at second base at the beginning of extra innings as a way to speed the game up. This rule was not applied to the postseason, however.
  • That rule is also returning to baseball in 2021. Whether it applies to the postseason this year remains to be seen. Since it worked so well, I imagine it will be used in the playoffs.
  • Like the 7-inning doubleheaders, this extra-inning rule worked, and that’s why it is being brought back.
  • It’s also possible that, like the 7-inning doubleheaders, once the pandemic is over this rule will go away, but again not likely.
• Expanded playoffs/mini-mid season soccer-style tournament.
  • MLB experimented with expanded playoffs in 2020 that looked like a tournament-style playoff format and was done in a bubble as a solution to the covid-19 pandemic. MLB also held its first-ever neutral-site world series as a solution to limit travel during the pandemic. Neither of these will return for 2021 and will probably never come back.
  • Rob Manfred has floated the idea of hosting a mid-season soccer-style tournament that would feature minor league clubs going up against clubs from central american and mexico baseball leagues, and it seems like a popular idea that both fans and the players can rally behind.
  • Those who oppose, claim that it’s not necessary because they believe that’s what the World Baseball Classic is for. The difference being that the World Baseball Classic has the best players in the world competing for their national teams vs. minor leaguers going up against other domestic leagues.
  • I believe that a mid-season tournament would be interesting, but I’m not sure the MLBPA will be open to approving that, and the fans aren’t 100% on board, so Manfred will face the heat if this tournament comes to fruition.

Prior to 2020, it was conceivable that Manfred would be able to implement some of his wish list items into the new CBA, but given the current relationship with the MLBPA following a difficult 2020 season, that might not be as realistic as it seemed at the end of 2019 when talks began. It all depends on how much each side is willing to compromise in order to preserve the quarter-century of labor peace. The easiest path forward would be appeasing the players, but hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.

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