Rob Manfred Talks Pitcher Innings Minimum, Deferred Money

Just a few months ago, news broke that there had been discussions across Major League Baseball to require pitchers to complete a minimum of six innings per outing, with limited exceptions.

READ: MLB Discussing Minimum Innings Requirement For Starting Pitchers

That news became immediately controversial, as baseball purists and players railed against forcing pitchers to stay on the mound for a required amount of time. Though despite the controversy, there was a nugget of value in such a proposal: increasing the importance of starting pitching in an era where it's never been less important.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred went into further detail in a recent interview on whether the proposal has any chance of being implemented in the near future, what his thoughts are on how to increase starting pitcher importance, as well as the criticism of deferred money once again rearing its ugly head.

HOUSTON - Major League Baseball  Commissioner Rob Manfred talks with Manager Tony La Russa of the Chicago White Sox prior to Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 7, 2021. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Rob Manfred On More MLB Changes

Manfred in an interview with Chris O'Gorman first addressed the six-inning minimum suggestion, and was pretty clear that he's not in favor. 

"Just too blunt an instrument to fix this problem," Manfred said. "I don’t think it can be prescriptive: ‘You have to go six innings.’ I think it has to be a series of rules that create incentive for the clubs to develop pitchers of a certain type."

That said, he said he wants to market the game in such a way that big name starters regain some of the aura and impact they did in prior eras. 

"Marketing the game, just think about a broadcast, right: the name, or the face that you see the most in a broadcast is the starting pitcher," Manfred continued. "And the matchups of great starting pitchers historically have been important in terms of the marketing game. And I do think we need to get back to that.

"To me, this needs to be addressed in a more subtle way, I think maybe through rules surrounding transactions," he said. "That is, how often pitchers come on and off the roster. One of the things that happens today, guy pitches three days in a row, he gets outrighted, they bring somebody else in to give him some rest, as opposed to him staying on the roster the whole time. I think we need to create incentives through things like roster rules, transaction rules for clubs to develop pitchers who go deeper in the game."

That at least wouldn't change the on-field product as much, while potentially incentivizing teams to focus on length and longevity over max effort, high-intensity pitches over shorter stints.

One player though, doesn't believe Manfred's telling the truth. Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman posted on X that fans shouldn't listen to Manfred. 

Tells you how popular Manfred is among the players.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the teams that relies most heavily on that type of transactional pitching, and they also rely heavily on deferred money. When asked about it, Manfred said that deferred salaries "can become problematic." 

But that's not entirely up to him; players and owners collectively agreed to deferred money, and it's up to each team and player what they're willing to accept. The Dodgers have realized that they can invest the money they save, and expect to outpace what they owe in the future in terms of financial returns. Any team could take that risk too. They're just not willing to.

Deferred money can also benefit players who receive the security of knowing that they'll receive huge salaries even in their post-playing careers. Negating much of the risk of outspending your future retirement now. Plus with the Dodgers, they join a team capable of increasing their marketing and off-field value too. 

If you believe Manfred at least, changes that severe aren't coming to professional baseball anytime soon. Whether you want to believe Manfred or not is a whole separate issue.