Off the field...
A new initiative, set forth by Major League Baseball, called MLB Spring Breakout will make its debut in 2024. Each franchise will put together a team of their best prospects to compete against other organization's prospects during a series of games, scheduled from March 14 to March 17, 2024.
Two former New York Mets players, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, will each have their numbers retired. Doc will have his number (16) retired by the Mets on April 14, 2024, and The Straw Man will have his number (18) retired by the Mets on June 1, 2024.
In the American League...
Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved (November 16, 2024) the franchise request to relocate the Oakland Athletics, to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2028.
The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays played a spring training two-game series at Estadio Quisqueya, on March 9–10, 2024, the first Major League Baseball games ever played in the Dominican Republic.
Management changes in the junior circuit included three General Manager changes; Rick Hahn was fired by the Chicago White Sox, and replaced with Chris Getz; Brian O'Halloran was reassigned by the Boston Red Sox, and replaced with Craig Breslow; Peter Bendix, the Tampa Bay Rays GM, was hired by the Miami Marlins. In the dugout, the Angels did not pick up their option on Phil Nevin, and replaced him with Ron Washington; Terry Francona was reassigned by the Guardians, and Stephen Vogt was his replacement; and future hall of famer, Dusty Baker, retired as skipper of the Astros, Joe Espada took over at the helm.
In the National League...
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to participate in the MLB World Tour, playing a two-game series in London, England, on June 8–9, 2024, in London Stadium.
Management changes in the senior circuit included two General Manager changes; Billy Eppler was reassigned by the New York Mets, and replaced by David Stearns; and Kim Ng was reassigned by the Marlins, who hired the Rays GM (Peter Bendix). Managerial changes included; Bob Melvin taking over with the San Francisco Giants; Buck Showalter getting fired by the New York Mets, and replaced with Carlos Mendoza; San Diego Padres lost Melvin to the Giants, and named Mike Shildt their new skipper; the Milwaukee Brewers contract with Craig Counsell expired on November 1, 2023, and he left to the Chicago Cubs, prompting the Brew Crew to replace him at the helm with Pat Murphy.
The Arizona Diamondbacks unveiled a new uniform set, adding teal as a full-time accent color. Cream returned as the base color on the home uniforms for the first time since 2006, as is the alternate "D-snake" logo. Sand was removed entirely from the uniforms, except for the "City Connect" uniform.
Around the League...
The MLB World Tour continued in 2024, and this time it included the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres playing a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea, on March 20–21, 2024, in the Gocheok Sky Dome.
During the 2024 postseason, ESPN networks will air all four Wild Card Series, with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes. TBS will broadcast the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series, with Spanish-language simulcasts on MLB Network. Fox Sports will broadcast the National League Division Series, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes.
Four major rule changes took place in 2024; the pitch clock was reduced from twenty seconds to eighteen seconds; mound visits were reduced from five per game to four; the runner's lane was widened to include the dirt between the foul line and infield grass; and any pitcher who is sent out to warm up for an inning must face at least one batter.
Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced via Press Release (excerpts below) SEVERAL rule changes that will be in place during the 2023 baseball season, including:
Pitch Clock Implementation: A standardized period of 30 seconds between batters within each half-inning. A timer between pitches of 15 seconds with the bases empty, and 20 seconds with at least one runner on base. The pitcher must start his motion before the expiration of the pitch timer. A violation will result in an automatic ball. The batter must be in the box and alert to the pitcher with no less than eight seconds remaining. A violation will result in an automatic strike. With runners on base, the timer resets if the pitcher attempts a pickoff or steps off the rubber (collectively called a "disengagement"). Only two disengagements are allowed per plate appearance; however, this count resets if a baserunner advances. Mound visits, injury timeouts, and offensive team timeouts do not count against this. On a third disengagement, an unsuccessful pickoff attempt will cause that runner to advance one base. If a team has used up all of its allowed five mound visits by the ninth inning, it receives an extra visit in the ninth. Umpires can provide extra time if circumstances warrant.
Infield Shift Restrictions: The defensive team must have no fewer than four players in infield positions, with at least two on each side of second base. All infielders must have both feet on or inside the outer edge of the marked infield while the pitcher is on the rubber. Infielders cannot switch sides of the infield before a pitch is released. If infielders are improperly aligned at the time of the pitch, the offensive team may choose to accept the result of the play, or receive an automatic ball.
A new balanced schedule was introduced in 2023, where every team will play every other team at least once during the regular season. It also includes 13 games against division rivals and 52 games overall against division opponents. Each team will play six games against six opponents, and seven games against four opponents in the same league, for a total of 64 games, as well as 46 interleague games.
Did you know that the number of teams eligible for the postseason increased from 10 to 12 in 2022 — giving us more participating postseason teams in 2023? Under the new format: The number 1 and number 2 seeds (division winners with the two best records) in each League will receive a bye during the Wild Card Round. The Wild Card Round will feature the number 3 seed (division winner with the third-best record) against the number 6 seed (third Wild Card Club) and the number 4 seed (first Wild Card Club) against the number 5 seed (second Wild Card Club) in each League. The Wild Card Round will be a best-of-three series with all games played at the site of the number 3 and 4 seeds, respectively. The Division Series will remain a 2-2-1 format with the number 1 seed facing the winner of the 4/5 Wild Card matchup, while the number 2 seed faces the winner of the 3/6 Wild Card matchup.
