SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball's move to shave two seconds off the pitch clock with runners on base is too much, too soon, according to players' association head Tony Clark.
The clock is being shortened this season from 20 to 18 seconds with men on base and will remain at 15 seconds with no one on base.
“That's a conversation that should have warranted a much longer dialogue than what we had,” Clark said Saturday. “We expressed those concerns, the players expressed those concerns, and yet the shot clock change still occurred.”
MLB introduced a new rules package last season, including a shot clock and larger bases, that reduced the average game time by 24 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes, the fastest games played since 1984. The clock, adopted despite the objection of player representatives on the competition committee, was considered a huge success and the sport attracted more than 70 million fans to stadiums for the first time since 2017.
“We just had the biggest adjustment this league has ever seen regarding the length of the game and how the game was affected by the inclusion of a clock,” Clark said. “Rather than giving ourselves another year to adjust and adapt, why are we adjusting again and what will the ramifications be?”
Clark's main concern is that pitchers will have less time between pitches to recover, particularly when maximum effort and pitch velocity are so important.
“When fatigue occurs, you are more susceptible to injury,” Clark said. “We're seeing a lot of injuries, and we're seeing them in a way that simply can't eliminate the question of whether shortening recovery time is in someone's best interest.”
FREE AGENCY
There are several high-profile free agents who remain available, including two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, former MVP Cody Bellinger, six-time All-Star JD Martínez and four-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman.
“If teams want to get better, there are a lot of players across the spectrum who can help teams finish like the bottom team,” Clark said.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said this month that the league would prefer a free agent signing period, ideally in December, that ends with a deadline. The union dismissed an MLB proposal in 2019.
Clark, who played in the majors from 1995 to 2009, prefers the flexibility of the current rules, which do not impose deadlines for reaching free agent deals.
“In all likelihood, a deadline will do more harm to the players in those conversations than the other way around,” Clark said.
THE SITUATION OF A
The Oakland Athletics still don't know where they will play after the 2024 season as the franchise prepares for a planned move to Las Vegas.
The A's have met with Oakland city officials about extending the club's lease beyond 2024, but nothing is certain. A new stadium in Las Vegas is not expected to be ready until 2028.
Options include staying at the Coliseum or playing in another city, such as Sacramento or Salt Lake City.
“I've been pretty consistent that it had to happen yesterday,” Clark said. “The longer this conversation goes on, the more detrimental it will be to the players of those teams, the fans in that market and potentially other markets.
“Whether in Sacramento, Salt Lake or somewhere else, decisions need to be made sooner rather than later.”
OLYMPIC GAMES 2028
Clark said many MLB players are excited about the prospect of playing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but that “the devil is in the proverbial details” when it comes to making it happen.
Several stars, including Bryce Harper, have expressed their desire to play in Los Angeles.
“There's a lot of dialogue there,” Clark said. “We haven't received anything formally. We've had conversations with some people. But the players we've heard from, at least so far, are intrigued by the idea.”
