With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December and negotiations for a new CBA underway, officials from Major League Baseball and the players’ union are discussing the length of the regular-season schedule, reports David Lennon of Newsday. Specifically, the idea of streamlining from 162 to 154 games is picking up steam, per Lennon, as it would be less taxing on the players than the current format. The American League previously switched from a 154-game schedule to 162 in 1961, while the National League followed suit in 1962.
Today’s teams have just 21 days off during the 183-day regular season, which Lennon notes has led to complaints from the players because of the grueling travel schedules they face. One reason there are calls for a shorter schedule relate to the league’s stricter performance-enhancing drug testing, according to Lennon. PEDs are tempting to use in part because they help players get through a rigorous schedule, but with tests becoming harder to beat, drugs perhaps aren’t the enticing option they were in the past.
Regardless of the players’ issues with the current setup, cutting the schedule could be unrealistic because of the negative financial consequences likely to accompany it. Teams are unsurprisingly reluctant to sign off on losing revenue from attendance and television ratings. Players would also be in danger of making less money, too, as commissioner Rob Manfred laid out earlier this week.
“There are ways to produce more off days in the schedule. Some of those have very significant economic ramifications that — if in fact we’re going down those roads — those economic ramifications are going to have to be shared by all of the relevant parties,” said Manfred. “You want to work less, usually you get paid less. But we are prepared to discuss the schedule issues and make proposals that are responsive to the ones that we’ve received from the MLBPA.”
The players’ best chance to ensure a lighter schedule and continue to rake in the same salaries would be to convince the league that the quality of performance will rise if they garner more rest, writes Lennon. Indeed, that factors into MLBPA executive director Tony Clark’s argument.
“I don’t agree that there would need to be a discussion about a loss of salary or a rollback of salaries,” commented Clark. “Because if there is a lessening of the games . . . the value of every game goes up as well. I’m not talking about raising ticket prices. What I’m talking about is the idea that if I’m a fan coming to a ballpark, or I’m purchasing a season ticket, I know I’m going to see my guys as a result of x, y, z being done to make improvements to their overall health.”
If the league and the union are ultimately unable to agree to an eight-game reduction, Lennon offers the possibility of a two- or four-game compromise. With no CBA in place yet for next season, a resolution should come soon.
Very unlikely
No, I do realise it takes a tole on there body, but they are payed big money to play lots
Realize*. Paid*. Toll* their*
Feel better?
Normally id agree with you but that was far too many spelling errors
Yeah, I actually do feel better now. Thanks
Hard to ignore spell check that frequently. Must be really talented.
“they are” is fine. “they’re” is fine, also. “their” means possession. not so fine.
However in this context, “their” is the proper word
actually, their probably isn’t proper.
Definitely not proper. And while we’re at it, “their” doesn’t agree with “body” — “their bodies” or “one’s body”, but not “their body”. I’m just sayin’ ….
No no no no
Yeah, let’s sympathies with the millionaires who have to be sore now that they can’t use drugs to cheat. Seriously they’re making at least 500k to play a game for half a year.
Yeah, let’s side with the billionaire’s who sit in the air conditioning counting their money.
Can we just agree they’re both whiners.
Or winners?
If you insist, but nobody is paying to watch owners play. They are doing it in Vail and we are not invited anyway.
Yeah but we’re paying for it. If we have a real issue with how much they make then we should probably stop watching. I’m ok with 154 games. If that 1 or 2 games saves someone like Darvish from another injury then why not? Aren’t they there to entertain us? Don’t we want the best out there? Plus this is actually adhering to the ways of old and for those purist out there that should be enough.
Do you really think 8 less games is going to stop injuries? That is ridiculous. Minor league schedules are smaller than 162 games and they still have plenty of injuries throughout the season. There is no way to eliminate injury from sports, unless you play all games via a computer simulation. I fear that is where we are going anyway.
I didn’t say it would. You did. If you read what I said rather than what you want me to say you would see “If that 1 or 2 games saves someone…” see how i said if? It implies that one or 2 less starts increases the chances of an injury NOT occurring, which is a factual statement and i really dare you to prove that not throwing an extra 180-200 pitches wouldn’t. Manfred has done nothing but make new rules to “protect” players or investments (however you want to see it). The slide rule was just the beginning.
And the future of baseball would be more akin to blernsball
8 games isn’t 8 days, but you know that of course and just want to make a point.
You take out 8 games, you take out a whole lot of back to back to back series, you take out a lot of day game, cross country flight, game the next day games.
It could make the baseball you pay to see better, and isn’t that a good idea? If the players will take a pay cut (and they’ll almost definitely have to) I’m sure the owners would love for less of their star players needing a day off on a Sunday afternoon.
I mean, there’s no downside to less games except for the monetary one and that’s really nothing to do with me or you or anyone that isn’t generating a paycheck for MLB or a team. We’d probably get expanded playoffs and possibly a restructured 2-division table again to make up for it anyway.
one or two less starts decrease the chances of an injury. no argument.
there’s absolutely no way u can prove that 2 less starts will save injury. everybody is built different and 1 pitch on day 1 could ruin u just as much as ur last pitch on ur last day. all u can hope for is that every pitcher is doing their absolute best in between starts to stay healthy. and not even that helps
i was only rewording layercake. It implies that one or 2 less starts increases the chances of an injury NOT occurring.
I love baseball as much as anyone here, but I think this is the right thing to do. You have more chance of seeing your favorite player when you go to a game, and injuries are less likely to happen with more rest .
More scheduled double headers redo the division’s so that it reduces travel. Which of course means same rules but dh in baseball would also allow hitters to play and rest.
154 game also likely means teams will need 4 starters with a swing man
Players would make less because there is less money made and of course the loss of the starting pitcher role would reduce stuff too
Leave it like it is..dont fix something if its not broken.
Work less and get paid less…???Communism!
Comment of the week
I just don’t see the organizations allowing this to happen simply because it would mean so much revenue lost. For example, if they shortened the season by 8 games, that means 4 less home games, which would mean $2-8 million lost in ticket sales alone, let alone the revenue from TV, advertising, concessions, etc. And making more doubleheaders would create similar ramifications, so I don’t see them doing that either. The only way I could see them changing anything would be redrawing the divisions to allow for less miles traveled, but there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution.
Yup. It is interesting to not see any discussion about media contracts, when we have to know that the holders of those media rights are going to expect some sort of compensation for the lost broadcast revenue. They are going to be major players in any plan for reducing the number of games.
Can have similar impact by increasing roster size, no? Let the bench players play more; give stars a few more days off.
Increasing roster size would lead to the eventual end to the starting rotation. It’ll eventually turn into each team using each pitcher an inning or two.
I think if you tried to take Kershaw out after an inning or two it might be the end of you.
You might see the end of the fifth starter, but you’re never going to go to an all bullpen team. There’s too many quality starters and not enough quality relievers. If you could pull up one guy AAA, would you honestly blow up the starting rotation format?
I think adherence to the 162 game schedule means less now than it did a decade ago with the HR record taking a hit. Now I don’t think fans care as much.
Roids caused the HR record to take a hit. The season was shorter before. They just want to go back to it.
And it makes sense. Just saying that there isn’t anyone left who’s in love with 162 for statistical reasons.
Oh, there would be plenty of moaning, don’t kid yourself, The HR record isn’t the only reason people care about consistency in stats. All counting stats, milestones, and records would be affected by 8 less games, from pitchers reaching 20 wins or 200 k’s, to hitters getting to 30 HR’s or 100 RBI’s. That shift would be sacrilegious to statheads.
I say keep the number of games at 162 but add in 8 single admission doubleheaders during the summer months. Do it on weekends or holidays so the fans would get a bit of a break. You would lose some money on attendance but these games would draw in more casual fans looking for a bargain. The players would get additional days off and maybe allow teams to activate one or two additional player for these games.
This is what needs to happen.
A better way to make the union and owners happy might be to expand the 25-man active roster to 27. That would create 30 new jobs for players and would theoretically allow managers to rest their starting position players more frequently as long as an accompanying cap on pitchers spots (13?) is also implemented.
Speaking of caps, this proposal, along with near term future expansion could pave the way for a much needed salary cap in MLB that includes both a maximum and minimum one for teams. The current luxury tax is not having enough impact to balance out the inequities between baseball’s smaller and larger markets. The average MLB fan might also benefit with more affordable ticket prices down the road.
I became a MLB fan in the early 1960’s when the schedule was already expanded to the current 162 game season in both leagues. The difference between then and now has become the specialization in pitching, especially in regards to the amount of relievers being employed. Back in the day, the active roster was usually comprised of 15 position players and 10 pitchers which allowed for frequent platooning. Rosters also typically included three catchers and even a regular pinch-hitter on each clubs bench, often an older player who could still hit but was a defensive liability before the advent of the DH.
Speaking of the DH, that issue should also be resolved one way or another in the next CBA. My preference would be to implement the DH rule in both leagues but I could live with the choice of elimination. The wrong decision is to have two separate rules for each league. What other professional sport does that?
The implementation of advanced technology such as a pre-programmed laser strike zone for each batter should also be considered. This advancement would allow MLB to stand head and shoulders above any other professional team sport by eliminating the games primary judgement call. Technology like this would be impractical in the NFL, NBA and NHL where virtually every play can be decided by a judgement call or non-call, especially involving penalties. It would also be impractical and too time consuming to review routine calls involving traveling in the NBA and icing in the NHL, among others.
MLB, the one team sport without a time clock, could also benefit by having quicker games with a laser-strike zone that creates instantaneous and non-disputable calls. Umpires shouldn’t complain either since no jobs would be in peril. It would still be necessary to have umpires at each base and behind the plate to make safe and out calls. Just watch one inning closely and it becomes apparent that the function of the home plate umpire involves so much more than just calling balls and strikes to keep a game flowing.
I don’t think there should be a cap on the number of pitchers on a roster. If a team wants to carry 15 pitchers and 10 hitters, that’s their decision. Every single sport is essentially a game of strategy. If an organization decides they need/want the extra pitchers over the extra hitters/bench players, that’s their strategy.
There are a few changes I would like to see in the mlb schedule. First of all, the all-star game should be played on a Saturday as that would allow viewers from all over the world to watch it. The all star week itself should be an actual week, which would provide players (even the all-stars themselves) with more of a mid-season break.
Secondly, spring training is way too long. I get that you want to get your players ready for the season in a gradual way, but currently most games feature replacement-level and minor league players with no real shot at the big leagues, especially in the final week. This would allow the season to start a bit earlier, providing a bit more off-days.
Finally, the world series should not go into November. Yes, they lucky with the weather the last couple of years but playing baseball at 35 degrees Fahrenheit does not suit anyone on the field and in the stands. Maybe having game 7 (if necessary) on October 31 would be a nice tradition to close the baseball season.
I would not be against a 154 game schedule, but improving the current (horrendous, by most broadcasts and players standards) would certainly help a lot.
How about just getting rid of divisions (top 6 advance to playoffs) and just having a home and away series with every team within each league. Maybe include series from the other league to add more games.
I agree. no more divisions. drop down to 154 games. play each team in league 10 times. and use last 4 games vs interleague rivals. top 6 teams make it. and the wild card game turns into a 3 game series
That would be an interesting idea but I don’t see that happening as that would only complicate the travel more. Furthermore, to split 10 games evenly at home and on the road you would either have to play a 3- and 2 game series or one 5-game series, which is not ideal either.
No divisions would really hurt teams like Seattle, who have a long ways to travel anybody. 72-76 games against AL West teams keeps them from having to fly cross country as much. If you changed it, they’d only get 40-44 games in the West, which would make them lose a lot more revenue, as they’d have to travel farther than everyone..
Why not add two DH’s? Rotate the second one around among to players so they get less wear and tear. I also like the idea of increasing the roster size, I say 28 Active, 45 for the extended roster.
Please get rid of the travesty that is the wild card playoff game. 154 game season would be great for the players and, say, a best of 5 wild card series would be a better indicator for who deserves to move on. I know many of you think the same way. I just hope the MLB powers do as well.
I would say a best of three with the lower-record team getting game 3 at home (and a risk of not playing at home at all). Otherwise the lay-off for the other teams is too long. But yeah, 1 game is a complete crap-shoot.
They have JUST 21 days off. Of course they also have another 182 days off as well. I wish my work schedule was working 4 hours a day for 162 days a year. Which equates to 40 hours a week for 16 weeks and 1 day per year. The average working American works 40+ hours a week for 48 weeks per year. So three times longer and they get paid a fraction. Not only that but players still get fully paid if they are hurt and have to miss work. Sorry, but I am not going to feel pity them. Suck it up and work.
While I do think they’re being whiney your estimate is likely significantly off. With practices, training, team meetings, travel time as well as promotional events and media appearances their average hours per day is a lot higher.
Still doesn’t hit the same level as an average worker.
You’re kidding right? You actually think they have 162 days off a year outside the regular season? You actually think they only work 4 hours a day during the regular season?
I don’t feel pity for millionaires, but I am sympathetic to the fact that they live out of suitcases, sleeping in hotel beds, traveling across multiple time zones regularly, away from their wives and children for 8+ months of the year.
your right. those poor athletes lol. if they feel it’s too stressful then they should go do something else. they have it made. Plain and simple. Couldn’t care less about day games on getaway days or anything else w those salaries. suck it up and play. that’s right. PLAY
Playing professional sports is not the same as a regular job, people have to stop comparing the 2.
Or realize that the job can be more equated to a high level employee (a CEO of a Fortune 500 who travels a great deal to many foreign lands, for example) rather than comparing it to an everyday blue-collar employee. I’m not saying that any job is less important, I’m just saying that it’s a better comparison.
If they want more days off schedule a few doubleheaders throughout the season
Let the last week of spring training count (+ jack up ticket prices). Use those 7 days as off days throughout the the season or shorten the season by a week. Bonus…each team gets 2 opening days.
If the MLBPA seriously thinks the season will be shortened without them sharing any of the financial downfall then they’re deluding themselves. Nothing they claim can really be quantified or guaranteed, so it’ll be a no go to the owners. I hope they already know that, but I’ve been surprised in the past at how out of touch they’ve been.
As much as they are paid they should play a double header everyday.
Great idea. Season is unnecessarily long.
160 games breaks out as follows:
60 inter league (4 against each other team – 2 home, 2 away)
60 intra-league non-division (3 home, 3 away)
40 division games (5 home, 5 away)
But that means more travel
If you do 154 games, this works:
72 division (9 home, 9 away vs each team)
60 league (3 home, 3 away vs each team)
22 interleague (but assignments are not balanced)
Players union works for the players
Commissioner works for the owners
Nobody works for the fans
All matters during CBA’s are a matter of revenue focus, nobody really seems to care about the sport as much as they probably should.
Ain’t that the truth? In reality everybody works for the fans, because the fans are paying all the bills. And yet.
just do 160
Personally don’t mind reduction. I think season is too long. I would be even fine with 144 games.
These guys making min 550,000$ a year and most making much more are complaining about having to go to ‘work’ 162 days out of the year? Give me a break.
I will say the schedulers could get a clue though, the days where you play a night game on the west coast and then catch a flight to play the next day on the east coast? What goon decided to do that?
Why not just increase the active roster from 25 to 28 or 30, to give guys more days off?
Even if somehow every single player approved this , there’s no way owners would do something that would give them less money, even if it was just a dollar less. Just look at how they treat their minor-league. It’s all about money. They’re never going to decrease the scheduling they might increase if anything. I don’t think owners care about player injuries or players complaints, as long as it puts money in their pockets. There might be an outlier or anomaly owner who cares about the star player, but I really doubt it for the majority
I think that’s a better idea. Just increased the active roster size. I hate the idea of the DH in the National League but that would help. Larger roster it would help. There’s no way that owners would take less home games which would mean less money, even though the sharing rules probably wouldn’t make that big of a difference with their bottom line, I think they’re more likely to just increase active roster . At least I think smartest thing easiest move would be to increase the active roster
Do 168 because it means every team would play the other 14 teams 12 times (6 home, 6 away) and no interleague would mean a perfectly balanced schedule.
That’s not possible since there’s an odd number of teams in each league. The only way that is possible would be to have the 2 odd teams out to not play an entire series (like an NFL bye week or something)
It’s a 5% pay cut, deal with it. Normal people are asked to bend much much much much much more.
And the mlb tv contracts will only pay 95% of their original deals?
Clubs are going to willingly give up 5% of their ticket revenues?
Come on folks…never going to happen.
The idea that reducing the schedule by 8 games will save wear and tear on the players is patently absurd. This would result in a reduction of approximately 1 3/10 games per month over a six month season. That isn’t going to help anyone and will not decrease any starting pitcher’s workload to any appreciable degree. Starting pitchers’ workloads can be and are being reduced by running pitchers back and forth between the big league clubs and their Triple A affiliates. It happens all the time. Further, there has been no conclusive evidence reflecting that reducing the number of innings pitched reduces injuries. Pitchers used to pitch significantly more innings with seemingly less injuries. Nolan Ryan advocates pitching more to strengthen the arm. They should leave it the way it is and move on to more significant issues in the game.
They have played 162 games for over 50 years. Travel for players is even easier and 1st class all the way. than back in the days when they flew commercial and took trains The problem is the schedule, all these 2-3 game series, but that’s easily fixed. Also, the ASG is a joke, nobody cares anymore due to interleague play. Move it to March based on last years performance, and then use the 4 days during the season to give more off days.
If Clarke doesnt think there will be a negative impact on salaries he should be tested
As for player fatigue due to season length, just increase the rosters to 28. Thats what Clarke should be pushing for. MLB just wants the shorter schedule to expand the post season where the players get less of the revenue than during the regular season. But he knows that.
8 day/night double headers. Yknow, how it worked in the old days? Separate tickets so you still get all the parking cuts and concessions etc etc…. Pitching staffs can be allowed to shuttle up a 26th player for the day to cover bullpens or have a spot starter.
Why not expand the 25 man roster so players can get additional rest during the season while their subs play?
Next thing you know they will take away extra innings
So the teams raise ticket prices and cable rights 5%. It’s never stopped them before for lesser reasons.
Tony Clark is out of his mind if he thinks fans will say “I’ll pay the same for my season tickets because gosh darnit, I know x, y and z is being done so my guys can make improvements to their overall health.”
I mean, like, rubber room time.
What MLB should do is have healthy scratches like the NHL.
Have a 27 or 28 man MLB roster but only 25 suit up for any given game. So you can get players rest during the season without impacting your ability to win on a given night.
Expanding the rosters won’t help, GMs would just manipulate it and put starting pitchers on it to have a bigger bullpen/bench and they’d still start their regulars (which manager wouldn’t put their best squad out as often as possible?? I really don’t see the players agreeing to take a pay cut which would be necessary to reduce games (even if you raise ticket prices or whatever it takes to make up the difference, the owners wouldn’t pay the players the same for doing less. No chance.
I’m not paying the same or more money for less games. The players and owners need to figure out how to travel less and get more days off. Like it’s my friggin’ problem. What MLB should do is eliminate a couple of teams instead of expanding. The quality of players is too watered down. We’re watching AAA players playing on some teams.
Aside:
April – 30 days
May – 31 days
June – 30 days
July – 31 days
August – 31 days
September – 30 days
Sum that together and that’s how you get the 183 day schedule.
As a fan, I am all for a shorter season. Its entirely too long, I hope to the MLB will adopt a shorter season by 8 to 10 games.
so, in essence, they want more money and less work. well, don’t we all?
Include eight day / night double headers. Revenue doesn’t change. Salaries don’t change. Days off still happen. Managers can tap into the bench to field a team while giving starters a day off.