Possible transformation is coming to the minor leagues as well. After the Major League Baseball Players Association announced Wednesday that it had joined the AFL-CIO, a week after the union said it would make a push to unionize the minors, Commissioner Rob Manfred said Friday that MLB would voluntarily recognize a union minor league players – a surprising step given the longstanding tension between baseball’s governing bodies. “We, I believe, notified the MLBPA today that we are prepared to enter into a voluntary recognition agreement. I think they’re working on the language as we speak,” Manfred said in response to a question at the end of the news conference in which he announced the rule changes. The union declined to comment on the process, which has moved quickly to this point but could slow as the sides hammer out the details of that deal. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark told the Washington Post on Wednesday that he hopes the league can negotiate a collective bargaining agreement for its minor leaguers by next year’s spring training, though the recognition process is the first hurdle to that. which could be a tough road to the minors the first CBA of the champs. The journey to implement the changes to Friday’s rule – mainly the shift ban and time slot implementation – has been grueling. Both rules were debated for years before finally being tested in the minor leagues, then reaching the desk of this joint committee, which agreed to consist of six MLB representatives, four players and an umpire. The MLBPA released a statement clarifying that none of the four players on the committee voted in favor of pitching time or the shift ban, explaining that MLB officials had not considered player feedback when finalizing their rule proposals. But the union settled with the joint committee in the spring’s contentious collective bargaining process, signing a committee format that essentially guaranteed MLB could push through any rule changes regardless of what the players involved thought about them. “Player captains from around the league participated in on-field rules negotiations through the Competition Committee and provided specific and actionable feedback on the changes proposed by the Commissioner’s Office,” the union said in a statement Friday. “Major League Baseball has been unwilling to meaningfully address the areas of concern raised by the players, and as a result, the players on the Competition Committee voted unanimously against implementing rules covering defensive changes and the use of a pitch timer.” Manfred acknowledged that the rules were not and will not be universally accepted by all factions of major league players – some of whom benefit from the changes more than others and some of whom will find themselves and their routines among the pitches to be much more affected by the pitch clock than others. “It’s hard to get a consensus among a group of players to change the game, taking a position that we have to change the game,” Manfred said. “I think at the end of the day, what we’ve done here is give the fans the kind of game they want to see after carefully considering all those voters.” Manfred, seated next to adviser Theo Epstein and MLB executive vice president Morgan Sword, made the announcement during a news conference that was shown on East Coast clubhouse televisions as players began filing in for evening games of Friday. The news did not come as a surprise. But at least in the New York Yankees clubhouse, the announcement sparked discussions among executives, players and managers as they took a look at the screens. “I agree with that. I think those are things that have a chance to have a positive impact on our game. We’ll see, right?” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “… Hopefully these are things that can be little things that lead to a more fun and better product overall. I hope at least that these things will be positive.” San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler called the changes “significant” and elaborated on them from his team’s perspective: He told NBC Sports and others that the pitch clock could help the Giants’ pitching staff, which he has been taught to “press the beat” and they should not adjust. Chicago Cubs manager David Ross laughed when asked about the larger bases, which will increase from 15 inches to 18 inches square in the committee’s only unanimous vote. Some have speculated that it will cause more stolen bases. Others have suggested that the biggest benefit will be player safety, providing more room for fielders and runners to avoid base collisions. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB Network Radio that if fans want the changes those rules could create, they should listen to him and his players. His agency will take the winter to figure out exactly how it will operate under the new regulations, he added. “We’re going to work hard this offseason to wrap our heads around the best ways to get that to the players, work on it in spring training and see if there are any advantages we can get,” Cash said. That the rules became official Friday means everyone will have plenty of time to tweak rosters, strategies and approaches to account for the changes, which will be implemented in spring training. Change has been a constant in MLB since the start of the pandemic, as players have adjusted to health and safety protocols, a universal designated hitter, new sticky controls and more.
