Manfred: Pace changes will happen with or without union

ORLANDO, Fla. — Major League Baseball will change rules to speed games next year with or without an agreement with the players’ association.

Management proposed last offseason to institute a 20-second pitch clock, allow one trip to the mound by a catcher per pitcher each inning and raise the bottom of the strike zone from just beneath the kneecap to its pre-1996 level at the top of the kneecap.

The union didn’t agree, and clubs have the right to impose those changes unilaterally for 2018.

Players and MLB have held initial bargaining since summer, and MLB chief legal officer Dan Halem said this week he would like an agreement by mid-January.

“My preferred path is a negotiated agreement with the players, but if we can’t get an agreement we are going to have rule changes in 2018 one way or the other,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday after a quarterly owners’ meeting.

Nine-inning games averaged a record 3 hours, 5 minutes during the regular season and 3:29 during the postseason.

There are ongoing talks for a new posting system with Japan to replace the deal that expired Nov. 1, one that would allow star Japanese pitcher/outfielder Shohei Otani to leave the Pacific League’s Nippon Ham Fighters to sign with a big league team.

MLB agreed last month to a framework with Nippon Professional Baseball that would keep the rules of the expired deal pretty much in place this offseason, allowing a high posting fee of $20 million.

Starting next offseason, the fee would be 15 percent of the guarantee of a major league contract and 20 percent of the signing bonus of a minor league contract, a person familiar with that negotiation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.

The union informed MLB on Thursday that it had set a Monday deadline for reaching a deal, according to Manfred.

The union doesn’t want the uncertainty of Otani’s situation to hold up teams’ negotiations with other free agents, another person familiar with the talks said, also speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.

Record home runs

Owners were told experts are looking into the specifications of baseballs after a record 6,105 home runs were hit this season.

“There’s going to be activity on that front during the offseason, and we’ll have more to say on that at some point during the offseason,” Manfred said.

Protective netting

Owners were updated about team decisions on expanded protective netting, made after several fans were injured by foul balls this year. MLB has not decided whether to change the league-wide minimums.

“I’m not prepared to say exactly what next year’s going to be,” Manfred said.