Sources - MLB considers reducing pitch clock with runners on - ESPN

Major League Baseball's competition committee is weighing a proposal that would reduce the pitch clock with runners on base from 20 seconds to 18 next season, aiming to reverse a late-season trend that saw the average time of game increase by seven minutes, sources told ESPN.

MLB's competition committee, which includes six members representing teams, four players and one umpire, heard the proposal to shave the clock as well as cut down mound visits from five per game to four, sources said

The 15-second clock without runners on base would remain the same, sources said.

The competition committee can implement a change to on-field rules with 45 days' notice to players after a proposal. Players are currently discussing the proposal and expect to go back to the committee with suggestions on potential adjustments, sources said.

The first spring training game will be played Feb. 22, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will open the regular season March 20-21 with a two-game series in Seoul.

Players have voiced concerns regarding the reduction of the clock, sources said, pointing to the spate of pitching injuries that hindered the sport in 2023. MLB has pushed back on the idea that sped-up pace of game caused the injuries, and because teams hold a majority of seats on the committee — which was formed during negotiations on the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2022 — the league essentially has carte blanche on rules changes.

Multiple pitchers not in the most recent competition-committee meeting but familiar with the discussions said they would be more open to a reduction of the clock with runners on base if it were countered with a longer clock with the bases empty. But MLB showed no inclination to move off