Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Players Respond To Several Major Rule Changes

Originally posted on The Cold Wire | By Curt Bishop | Last updated 9/9/22

MLB is changing some things in 2023.

New rules have been implemented for next season, including a pitch clock, larger bases, and restrictions on the defensive shift.

So far, it appears that around the league, there are mixed reactions from fans.

The MLB Players Association released a statement on the matter via Twitter.

It seems as though the Players Association is none too pleased with the changes that have been implemented for the 2023 season, expressing in that statement that their executive board unanimously voted against a pitch clock and the banning of the defensive shift.

Their statement can be found below.

Players union says their reps voted unanimously against the clock and shifts ban. So there you go. https://t.co/1UjcSmaozA

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) September 9, 2022

Players Express Displeasure With New Rules

The Players Association has made their stance very clear on the matter, as seen in the statement.

They were fully against the idea of banning the shift and implementing a pitch clock.

The executive board said in their statement that they felt that Major League Baseball completely ignored their concerns about the new rules being implemented.

It seems that the end of the lockout has not done much to simmer the tensions between the players and Rob Manfred.

It’s surprising to see that the Players Association is so against it, especially with players such as Matt Carpenter and Joey Gallo expressing that they would welcome the shift ban back in 2020 when the idea was first thrown around.

But there clearly was something that they didn’t like about these new rules.

What was highlighted in the statement was that the Players Association believes that regulations on what players can do on the field take away from the spirit of the game.

That is the popular consensus among the players.

For context, these changes will not go into effect immediately.

The rest of the 2022 season will play out without these new rules and they will be put into effect for 2023.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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