Players union director talks about expansion, pace of play
Tony Clark, the executive director of the players’ union, said the possibility of expansion has been a popular topic among baseball leadership in recent months. If the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays can get a new ballpark in their market — still a big if, in each case — the league could add two teams for a total of 32. Montreal, Mexico City, Charlotte and Portland would be among the candidate cities.
“The idea of expansion has been bantered about for some time,” Clark said. “I don’t know that anything is going to happen tomorrow.”
Clark also said he is “optimistic” that the union and the league can agree on pace-of-play rules for next season. In the absence of an agreement, Commissioner Rob Manfred can unilaterally impose changes, including a pitch clock.
Among the factors in longer games: the rise of the uppercut swing, with more home runs and more strikeouts.
“The league wants home runs. The league wants strikeouts,” Clark said. “They just want them to happen more quickly.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series
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