Major League Baseball and the league’s Players’ Association have announced some notable changes for the 2019 & 2020 seasons.
According to an official release, changes for the upcoming 2019 season will include speeding up the game by limiting mound visits (dropping from six per team to five) and shortening the time between innings (down from 2:05 to 2:00 for local games).
There will only be one trade deadline on July 31, eliminating the Aug. 31 deadline that featured players going through waivers. The winner of the Home Run Derby will also now earn a $1 million bonus, potentially creating more interest in the event.
Coming in 2020, teams will get an extra player on the active roster for most of the season, bringing the total to 26. Beginning on Sept. 1, teams will get up to 28 players on the roster, which is down from 40 in previous years.
There will also be a limit on the number of pitchers each team can carry on the active roster. Additionally, there could be a three-batter minimum for each pitcher, effectively preventing specialists who face one batter at a time.
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