JUPITER, Fla. 鈥 Responding to concerns voiced already this spring by its members, the Major League Baseball Players鈥 Association is scrutinizing whether another reduction of time on the pitch clock can be linked to an increase of injuries, turning a rule debate into a question of health.
The union preferred one more year to be sure before losing 2 more seconds.
鈥淭he idea that there鈥檚 any correlation between the shortening of the period of time that guys are being asked to pitch at max effort with every pitch, that that鈥檚 lending itself on any level to players being injured 鈥 that is something that should have resonated a little more than it did,鈥 MLBPA chief executive Tony Clark said outside the Cardinals鈥 clubhouse Thursday. 鈥淲hen players said, 鈥楪ive us another year to navigate last year鈥檚 rules instead of changing them again,鈥 (only) to find ourselves in a world where we鈥檙e changing them again, begs the question as to what the motivation actually is.鈥
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Clark and his staff, which includes Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Winfield, visited the Cardinals clubhouse Thursday and met for more than an hour with the players. It is the first time since 2019 that the annual union meeting had been held on site and in person. During his tour of spring camps, Clark has heard complaints about the new uniforms, questions about the slow pace of the 鈥減eculiar鈥 free-agent market, and big concerns about just 2 seconds.
Major League Baseball radically altered its rules ahead of the 2023 season. Bases became bigger. Seconds between pitches became fewer. Games became faster and shorter. And the reviews of the new rules were larger raves, including the opinions of players.
There was one caveat.
Veteran pitchers and the union expressed an interest in seeing if the pitch timer contributed to any increase in injuries, specifically fatigue-related ones for pitchers. Clark said before that could be properly studied and understood, baseball trimmed the time from 20 seconds between pitches in 2023 to 18 seconds in 2024. Clark stood near the Cardinals鈥 clubhouse a few years ago and explained why he wanted to introduce new rules one at a time. He warned multiple changes at the same time would create so many variables that if new rules had 鈥渁n unintended consequence鈥 it would be difficult to unwind the changes and find the reason why.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a concern there,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hopeful that we don鈥檛 see another uptick in pitchers injuries during the course of the year such that we鈥檙e having this conversation again in a few months.鈥
The commissioner鈥檚 office has always had the power when it comes to rule changes. He used to have to wait a year between introducing a new rule and imposing it. The union and leagues negotiated a swifter process that uses a committee, but the players are outnumbered, 6 to 4. There is, of course, debate between the two sides about injury data. Collecting that data is the union鈥檚 recourse to turn the discussion from a rules issue to a 鈥渉ealth and safety鈥 practice.
Those are negotiated separately.
鈥淲hy (not) on the heels of a dramatic change pump the brakes, give the guys the chance to continue to adjust and see what happens moving forward?鈥 Clark said. 鈥淲hen it becomes a health and safety issue, it鈥檚 a different conversation.鈥
He was asked if that鈥檚 happened.
鈥淣ot yet,鈥 he said.
Clark said it was 鈥渄ifficult鈥 for him understand why free agents who 鈥渦ndoubtedly help teams be the last team standing鈥 remain unsigned by the second week of March. Pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, the NL Cy Young Award winner and a World Series champion, respectively, remain unsigned. That does not mean they are unwanted. At least one of them has reportedly turned down an offer.
The union rejected a signing deadline 鈥 similar to a trade deadline 鈥 during negotiations in 2019 and again in 2021. Agents told the union that 鈥渋t was going to be more damaging than not,鈥 Clark said. He was asked by the Post-Dispatch on Thursday if the union had any qualms with the market leaking into spring training, where the injury to one member of the union becomes leverage for another union member to sign.
鈥淚ndependent of whether an injury happens, there are players right now and have been on the market for the last number of months here who 鈥 should have a uniform on somewhere,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淭he reason why as many players are still available that can help teams win ballgames is a question that we are asking. The details will be important. 鈥 We鈥檒l have to see what those reasons are. On the heels of what the experience has been the past couple of years, there is no doubt that this (market) is a bit peculiar.鈥
Clark said an audit is always done at the end of the market. When a market never seems to end, that study begins around opening day.
鈥淭iming is always a part of that conversation,鈥 he said.
And then there are the uniforms.
Since the unveiling of the new Nike-designed, Fanatics-manufactured uniforms, players have had complaints about their fit, their look, and their function. There have been concerns about see-through pants, and some players have referred to the look of the new uniforms as 鈥渃heap.鈥 The union shared opinions from players for the past several years during the design of the new uniforms. The past month has just received more attention.
鈥淗opefully it becomes a non-issue sooner rather than later, but there鈥檚 some work that needs to be done in order for us to get there,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淥ngoing dialogue (with Nike). I have confidence that the concerns that players have had have been heard.鈥
鈥淏ut not addressed?鈥 the Post-Dispatch asked.
鈥淗ave been heard,鈥 Clark repeated.
Nootbaar sidelined, injury evaluated
Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar felt discomfort in his ribs and torso after bracing himself during a fall near the left-field wall Saturday and has been sidelined since to determine the cause and severity of the injury.
Nootbaar had a CT scan taken of the area Thursday, and the Cardinals expected to have a clearer feel for the injury and timetable for Nootbaar鈥檚 return by Friday.
While limited in his activities, Nootbaar said he鈥檚 felt better each day.
Brandon Crawford鈥檚 debut, etc.
Brandon Crawford participated in live batting practice Thursday and will do so again Friday with the possibility of seeing his first game appearance during the weekend. The shortstop signed during camp will likely make his Cardinals spring debut at designated hitter. 鈥 Lance Lynn will make his first start of spring Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida, against the Nationals. Lynn, who has been building his pitch count on the back fields in controlled settings, will be ready to throw around 40 pitches, same as his peers who have been in Grapefruit games. 鈥 Reliever Keynan Middleton, who pitched a scoreless inning Thursday, traveled to the Pacific Northwest following the Cardinals鈥 game so that he could attend Oregon鈥檚 Class 5A boys basketball semifinal featuring the team he helps coach in the offseason, Putnam High Kingsmen. Middleton鈥檚 club advanced to Friday鈥檚 semifinal with an upset. The Class 5A championship is Saturday. Middleton is expected to return Sunday. 鈥 Alec Burleson took two walks in Thursday鈥檚 game and doubled.