DENVER — The 2022 Major League Baseball season figures to look considerably more like the game before COVID-19 than what we’ve seen this year and last, and it could reach even further into its past — with one notable exception.
During his annual news conference with the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday, commissioner Rob Manfred said he didn’t expect seven-inning doubleheaders or the extra-inning ghost runner — both innovations born of safety and health concerns tied to the pandemic — to continue beyond 2021. He also spoke of an optimism that infield shifts could be regulated, if not eradicated altogether, and expressed an open-mindedness to permanently universalizing the designated hitter.
“I see the extra-inning rule and the seven-inning doubleheaders as rules implemented based on medical advice,” Manfred said. “I think they are much less likely to become part of our permanent landscape than some of the other rules that we’ve talked about over time about how the game is being played.”
Infield shifts, meanwhile, have been utilized occasionally since at least the days of Ted Williams, although their usage has increased exponentially in recent times. Manfred said he sensed that front offices, which popularized this defensive strategy, were more open to changing the stance on such a deployment than they have been previously.
“It’s not change, it’s kind of restoration. That’s why people are in favor of it,” Manfred said. “I think front offices believe in general it would have a positive impact on the game. So I’m hopeful without going into the specifics of rule by rule that we will have productive conversations with the MLBPA about non-radical changes to the game that will restore it to being played in a way that is closer to what many of us enjoyed historically.”
Asked if adding the DH to the NL, which occurred last year as a safety and health measure, would qualify as a “non-radical change,” Manfred said, “I think it would be non-radical change. But I’m not going to speculate on whether we’re going to propose it or get it.”
Both Manfred and his Major League Baseball Players Association counterpart, executive director Tony Clark, spoke of a desire to avoid the game’s first work stoppage since 1995 after this current basic agreement expires on Dec. 1; discussions have already begun.
Said Clark: “Our goal is to get an agreement done.”
Manfred, boasting of his 1.000 batting average since he became involved in baseball’s labor negotiations in 1998, said, “The best thing I can say to you, our number one priority is to get to an agreement without a work stoppage.” The clear, recent bad blood between the two sides, as exhibited during last year’s struggle to restart the game — a notion that is overstated, Manfred contended — has elevated concerns throughout the industry.
In other MLB matters:
- The absence of prominent All-Stars like the Mets’ Jacob deGrom, the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and the Astros’ Jose Altuve — none of whom is currently on the injured list — prompted Manfred to cite language in the current basic agreement that requires players to attend unless they have a medical excuse.
“We negotiated for that provision because we think it’s important for our fans to see our very, very best players at the All-Star Game,” Manfred said. “We will, post-All-Star Game, review with the union … to make sure that we’re getting the benefit of our bargain on the provision that’s in the basic agreement. … We bargained for that and we intend to enforce that rule.” It’s unlikely that any of the players, backed by their clubs, will be disciplined. Clark defended the non-attendees by citing the duress of playing during a pandemic.
- An offshoot of the seven-inning doubleheaders has been split twin bills in which fans pay for nine innings and see only seven. Asked if he thought that was fair to the game’s customers, Manfred started by noting that seven-inning doubleheaders wouldn’t continue beyond this season. He added: “At the point in time we adopted seven-inning doubleheaders for this year, we didn’t know that the country was going to look what it looks like right now. As a matter of fact, we were really scared that it was going to look very, very differently. If I knew that it was going to be like this, might we have done different rules? Maybe. …[it’s] hard to change it midstream because it has a competitive impact. And given the demand we have for the tickets that are available, we kind of think splits are making the best out of a bad situation. But believe me, I understand it’s not perfect from the fans’ perspective. We’re working on that.”
Asked if this could be remedied simply with items like rebates, food coupons or credit toward purchasing a ticket for a future game, Manfred responded: “Those are things that sound easy. They’re a lot harder to execute in real life in terms of actually knowing who’s using tickets and whatnot. I think that the important point is, we understand it’s an issue and we don’t see these doubleheaders as part of our long-term future.”
- The Midsummer Classic moved to Coors Field from Atlanta’s Truist Field in April after Georgia enacted a number of highly controversial and contentious changes to its voting laws. Asked whether current similar efforts in Texas would keep the All-Star Game out of the Lone Star State, Manfred punted, saying: “I think the decision with respect to Atlanta was probably the hardest thing I’ve been asked to do so far. I’m hoping it’s going to be the hardest thing I get asked to do, period. Having said that, I’m not going to speculate on who’s going to pass what law and where we might take jewel events.”
As for Atlanta’s future, “I’m not going to get into what I would need to see changed [in the Georgia law],” Manfred said. “Atlanta is an important market for us and it certainly would be an option at some point.”
- Clark said he will continue to “encourage” his players, as opposed to “push” them, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Seven of the 30 clubs, including the Mets, have not reached the 85 percent vaccination threshold that would provide them far more liberties during games and on the road.