Rob

Manfred

It’s already the rule in the books, but enforcement of it is very scarce, and especially lately, coaches seem to be trying to get a little closer to the action in order to identify pitch tipping and potentially signal hitters. Coaches will first get a warning for any infractions and then are subject to ejection afterwards.

This announcement ensures that the trade deadline will not fall on a weekend. Last year’s deadline was on July 31, but it has changed dates in recent years. If anything, teams will have an extra couple of days to decide their direction.

Rosenthal reports that Tucker’s decision to sign with the Dodgers was “a boiling point” for owners, who are also upset about the Mets’ deal with Bo Bichette. Rosenthal suggests that “the Dodgers and Mets might be the only teams that will try to stand in the way of a cap.” The Dodgers project to have a payroll over $400 million again in 2026, but only three other teams are likely to have a payroll over $300 million, which highlights the disparity that many are worried about. Nothing is confirmed yet, but it seems painstakingly clear that we are headed for another MLB lockout.

NBC and Peacock will show the lone primetime game on Opening Day, with the champion Dodgers hosting the D-backs. NBC will also take over Sunday Night Baseball, filling out the calendar alongside its Sunday Night Football and Basketball packages, and the Wild Card series. Also, Peacock will regain Sunday morning broadcasts, which will lead into a Sunday afternoon whip-around show with live look-ins throughout the league, and will live-stream an out-of-market game every day of the season. The All-Star Futures Game and MLB draft will also be coming to NBC and Peacock, and regular season and postseason Peacock-exclusive MLB games will be available on the newly launched NBCSN sports cable network.

According to a league statement, these measures are intended to mitigate integrity risks and maintain the transparency and data-access benefits the regulated sports betting market provides. The announcement comes roughly 24 hours after Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges related to a scheme to manipulate bets on pitches thrown in games.

It’s honestly too bad they won’t do it in the postseason this year. Each team will start with two challenges and will lose them with unsuccessful challenges. Teams that use up their challenges will get one back in each extra inning for games that go beyond nine. Only pitchers, catchers and batters can call for challenges.

The “robot umpires” are coming next year to a major-league ballpark near you. The ABS challenge system has been used in the minors for several years at this point, including during 60 percent of big-league spring training games earlier this year, and is relatively straightforward. Human umpires will still make the usual ball-strike calls from behind home plate with each team getting two challenges per-game. Only the batter, the pitcher or the catcher can challenge an umpire’s call and the decision must be made immediately after the call without assistance from the dugout. A team only loses their challenge if the umpire’s original call is confirmed. The new wrinkle is unlikely to make an impact for fantasy purposes, but it should reduce the number of truly egregious missed calls that tend to impact close games.

The trade deadline has traditionally been on July 31, but was moved to July 30 last year after being on August 1 back in 2023. The move to Thursday makes a ton of sense since it’s usually lightest schedule of games during a typical week.

Manfred is said to be considering a petition filed in January by Rose’s family after he met with Rose’s oldest daughter in December. The commissioner previously rejected a similar petition after meeting with Rose himself in 2015. Rose, who passed away at the age of 83 in September of 2024, is MLB’s all-time hit leader, but was banned for life by then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in 1989.

The robot umpires are finally here. Rogers adds that the league is testing out the system this spring in roughly 60 percent of Grapefruit and Cactus League contests for the first time after years of experimenting with ABS in the minor leagues. MLB isn’t expected to implement ABS in regular season contests until at least 2026. Each team will be given two challenges per game, and will retain successful challenges, while only the batter, catcher or pitcher can initiate a challenge. It’s an interesting wrinkle to monitor during spring training contests, but won’t have a tangible fantasy baseball impact for at least another year.