Orioles manager Brandon Hyde had a split reaction Friday to the rule changes jointly announced by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association a day earlier. The more immediate measures to address pace-of-play issues were welcome for the first-year skipper, but his thoughts on the 2020 changes that will address strategy were more measured.
For the coming season, MLB made uniform a two-minute commercial break between half-innings, down from 2:25 on national broadcasts and 2:05 on local broadcasts. They reduced the number of mound visits from six to five, made a uniform July 31 trade deadline that eliminated the Aug.