Manfred says pace of play changes coming next week
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said proposed rules changes to speed pace of play will be in place by the start of big league exhibition games Feb. 23.
The commissioner had hoped for an agreement with the players’ association but has the right to implement last offseason’s proposal to install 20-second pitch clocks and institute stricter limits on mound visits.
MLB made a proposal to the union last month to abandon a pitch clock for this season as part of a three-year phase-in of new rules.
“There are going to be rule changes with respect to pace of play for the 2018 season. You’ll know about those rule changes before we start playing spring training games,” Manfred said Thursday. “It’s either going to be a specific agreement on specific rule changes or there are going to be rule changes that we put in place as a result of the provision in the basic agreement that allows to make that change.”
Indians: Pitcher Danny Salazar is unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season because of inflammation in his right shoulder. Salazar has experienced shoulder and elbow problems the past two seasons.
Mariners: Ryon Healy will miss four to six weeks after surgery to remove a bone spur in his right hand. Healy, acquired in a November from Oakland, is the projected starting first baseman.
Orioles: Pitcher Andrew Cashner reportedly agreed to a $16 million, two-year deal that could be worth $41 million over three seasons if he pitches 200 innings annually. The right-hander, 31, was 11-11 with a 3.40 ERA for Texas last year.
Blue Jays: Jaime Garcia agreed to a $10 million, oneyear contract that includes a 2019 team option. The lefthander, 31, went 5-10 with a 4.41 ERA last season for the Braves, Twins and Yankees. Toronto enters camp with uncertainty at the fifth starter spot behind Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ.
Brewers: Left-hander Wade Miley agreed to a minor league contract. Miley, 31, went 8-15 with a 5.61 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles last season. He had a league-high 93 walks.
Reds: Cincinnati voided the minor league contract of right-hander Jeff Manship after he failed his physical but agreed to a minor league deal with former Angels infielder Cliff Pennington.
Rangers: Bartolo Colon, a 44-year-old right-hander, is in camp. The oldest player to appear in both the AL and NL, he hopes to play in his 21st season and with his 11th major league team. “My motivation is I like to be around this,” Colon said.
White Sox: Since he was acquired from San Diego in May 2016, James Shields has a 5.99 ERA in 231⅓ innings with Chicago. Entering the final season of a $75 million, four-year contract, the 36-year-old right-hander wants to prove his worth. “I want to make every one of my starts and let the process take care of itself,” he said.
Diamondbacks: Chase Field will join Denver’s Coors Field as ballparks that use humidor-stored baseballs. The idea is to offset the extreme dry air of the desert and make Chase Field a little less homer-friendly than it has been.
Noteworthy: Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, Houston’s Collin McHugh and Tampa Bay’s Jake Odorizzi won their arbitration cases, and Toronto’s Marcus Stroman and Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson lost. Players have an 11-8 advantage with three more cases possible. The 22 decisions would be the most since players went 14-10 in 1990.