There is no shortage of discussion points surrounding Major League Baseball.
In the midst of interest concerning the potential implementation of the ABS Défi system; Espn Television; and a collective agreement (CBA) which ended in 2026; The owners of the MLB met in New York this week for their annual meeting in season.
The MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed these chaud button subjects, among others, during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Here are the biggest dishes to remember:
Reinstatement of rose
Manfred’s decision last month to withdraw Pete Rose and other former players who died from the ineligible MLB list Received of “mixed” criticisms, said the commissioner.
Rose, who died in September at 83, was prohibited in 1989 after an MLB survey discovered that he was betting on the Reds of Cincinnati to win while he was the director of the team. In a letter to Rose’s lawyer, Manfred has held that a person cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game “after his death.
President Trump was one of those who pleaded for Rose to be reinstated. Manfred met Trump in the White House in April.
“The president was one of the many voices that was the idea that it was the right decision,” said Manfred on Wednesday. “Obviously, I have respect for the office and the advice he gave, I paid attention, but I had many other people who also weighed on the subject.”
The National Baseball Hall of Fame said that the decision makes the rose eligible for induction.
Last ABS
The Ball-Trike Automated Challenge system (ABS) could be implemented in MLB games for the 2026 season.
He still has to go through a co-comity process before the rule cannot be modified, but Manfred says that the comments were positive after the ABS test during training in the spring.
“I think the teams are really positive on the abs. I have this non -scientific system that I use: my messaging traffic,” said Manfred.
“My separate impression is that the use of ABS in spring training has made people more inclined to complain about bullets and hit calls by e-mail, referring to the need for ABS. This is undoubtedly true.”
ABS would allow players from the two teams to challenge a bullet or a typing call twice per game.
Even with the ABC of baseball which ends after the 2026 season, Manfred expressed his desire to change before next season – before negotiation.
“We have negotiated the right to do this kind of rules. It was a really important part of the agreement of our point of view,” said Manfred.
“Everyone understood what the rules of the road were, and unlike the previous disposition, there is in fact an involved process that you are going through, that you have the possibility of checking and talking about what should happen with players. So I am less reluctant on this subject.”
Manfred said that the consideration for a check system that is tested in the Florida State League will not occur at the MLB level before the future of ABS is determined.
ESPN expiration
Manfred hopes that MLB’s national television vacancy is resolved by the All-Star game next month.
ESPN, which broadcasts “Sunday Night Baseball”, withdrew from the last three years of its contract and plans to conclude its coverage after this season.
Manfred admitted Wednesday that MLB is in discussion with three potential partners but refused to appoint them. NBC and Apple TV + have been reported as candidates.
“Each set of conversations involves a different content group,” said Manfred. “They are not the same. It is not as if it is a package of which we are talking to three people. We are talking to three people from different packages.”
MLB targets a three -year contract until 2028 to replace the initial ESPN agreement, which was around 550 million dollars per year. This would align with the other MLB national rights contracts, which would expire in 2028.
When asked if the MLB would favor the dollars or the audience scope of a new partner, Manfred said: “Since we see the ESPN part – what was the ESPN part – as a sort of bridge until 2028, I would be overweight on this package. But it’s always a balance. “
Enigma
MANFRED would be asked on Wednesday on Wednesday to determine the position of MLB on a capital proposal.
The commissioner underlined the offseason in the context of the determination of all the proposals.
“We would normally go to the table at the start of our season – March, April, whatever – so obviously during the winter, we will have to decide what will be there from our point of view,” said Manfred. “But no decision on this subject so far.”
During owners’ meetings in February, Manfred said that fans expressed concerns about the lack of salary ceiling. Several owners have pleaded for a salary ceiling or at least expressed dissatisfaction with the disparity of the payroll pay.
The loser’s 408.7 million los Angeles Dodgers payroll during the inclusion of the competitive balance tax, is an MLB record – and almost five times larger than the MLB -Low of $ 83.0 million in athletics, According to COT contracts.
“The disparity of the pay is such a reality among the property group that there is not much need to speak whether we have it or not,” said Manfred on Wednesday. “Everyone gets it. We understand that this has become a more important problem for us, but there has not been much conversation on this particular subject.”
Stadium saga
There is the optimism that Tampa Bay’s rays will be able to return to Tropicana Field next season.
The Rays use George M. Steinbrenner Field – The Yankees spring training – in 2025 after Hurricane Milton caused significant damage to too much.
“Stade repair moves,” said Manfred. “We remain optimistic that we will be ready for the opening day or very shortly after. Obviously, the great possibility is what is happening with the hurricanes season.
The A, on the other hand, remain convinced that they will be able to move to Las Vegas for the 2028 season, said Manfred.
Olympic involvement
It remains undecided if the MLB players will participate when the baseball will start at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but Manfred said that the league had made progress “in terms of what it could look like”.
The players, as well as the chief of the MLBPA, Tony Clark, supported the idea, according to the commissioner.
“We have other business partners to which we must talk about the changes that should be made to host the Olympic Games,” said Manfred. “I think we are going to move forward with this process.”
Game growth
MLB is on the right track for its third consecutive season of increased attendance, with figures of 1.6% at this point.
The ESPN MLB viewer increased by 22% compared to last year, while Fox increased by 10%. MLB games in Japan are on average 2.7 million viewers, despite the time difference.
The factors of this growth, according to Manfred, include the star power of players such as the judge Aaron of the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers; A movement for young people who includes the Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals of Kansas City; A balanced calendar that allows more first -rate interleague matches; And the advantage of having municipal teams in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
“The product we put in the field is a better product than five years ago,” said Manfred.
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