After meeting with the Manfred Commissioner of the Major League Baseball on the difficult labor-management negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players Association, it was revealed that they would accept the proposals of the Players Association by adopting the designated hitter system in the National League. "I believe we can agree to be in time for the start of next month," he said.
In Major League Baseball, the labor-management agreement with the players' association expired in December last year, and all activities related to labor and management have been suspended for more than two months.
The owners of each team held a meeting in Florida from the 8th to the 3rd to discuss the alternatives to the player's request, and on the 10th, the Commissioner of Baseball of the Major League Baseball met.
In it, the Commissioner of Baseball revealed that the next negotiations with the players' association will be held on the 12th, and said that there is "no change at this time" about the camp scheduled to start on the 16th.
"I'm optimistic about the start of the season on the 31st of next month. I need a four-week preparation period at the camp before the start, but I believe we can agree to meet the scheduled start," he said. I did.
At this owners' meeting, it was agreed to accept proposals from the players'association on some items, such as adopting a designated hitter system in the National League, reviewing the minimum annual salary of young players, and adopting a new draft system of lottery system. It means that it was done.
It is a form that appealed to the players' association before the next negotiation, but in this labor-management negotiation, there is a big disagreement over the reduction of the standard of "luxury tax" paid to the major league baseball team by the team with a high annual salary. If the lockout is not released in the negotiations on the 12th, the delay in starting the camp starting 4 days later will be decisive.
Shohei Ohtani may increase the number of at-bats
If a new labor-management agreement is reached in future negotiations and the designated hitter system is adopted in the National League from this season, the range of participation of Angels Shohei Ohtani will be wider than last season.
Otani, who belongs to the American League Angels, participated in many games as a designated hitter last season.
However, in the interleague game held at the home of the National League baseball team, the designated hitters could not be used, so he mainly participated as a substitute hitter, and two of the four games that he missed last season were such exchange games without a designated hitter system.
If the designated hitter system is adopted in the National League as well, it is possible to participate as a designated hitter in all interleague games, which may widen the range of participation and increase the number of at-bats.
In the major leagues, due to the influence of the new corona virus, the designated hitter system was adopted for the first time in the National League in the adult season when the regular season was shortened to 60 games, and it was not adopted last season, but it is possible to prevent pitcher injuries. The players' association was asking for hiring because of the increase in contracts for designated hitter players.
Regarding the designated hitter system, the giants in professional baseball and the Central League also proposed to introduce it tentatively last season, but they were not approved by other baseball teams.