MLB Reportedly Could Make Changes to New Rules Ahead of 2023 Opening Day

Less than two weeks away from MLB Opening Day, the league may be making a few tweaks to its new rules ahead of the start of the 2023 season. Several members of the league's competition committee met Monday to discuss potential changes, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Though it's not completely clear yet what changes were discussed, it's been understood that any change wouldn't be anything major.

The Players Association brought up suggestions to the rules competition committee, per Drellich.

When the committee voted on the new rules last summer, the player representatives voted against the pitch clock and the new shift rules as they had problems with how the league wrote the rules.

While the rule changes have mostly been seen as positives, especially after game times have seen a dip by 25 minutes, players still have concerns, mostly about the pitch clock.

Some of those concerns include:

• The 15-second pitch timer is too small of a time window with no one on base.
• Hitters should get slightly more time in between pitches and shouldn't have to be ready in the box and "alert to the pitcher" with just eight seconds remaining.
• Those involved in inning-ending defensive plays should have extra time if they are leading off the following frame.
• There should be more than one timeout per at-bat for hitters.

In addition to the players' concerns, the rules committee have also listened to feedback from various groups and told The Athletic that if there is any need for changes to the rules while in season, they would be small tweaks rather than a "wholesale" modifications.