Rob Manfred spoke to reporters (including ) ahead of the World Series opener this evening. The conversation covered an array of topics regarding the game, including the into former Mets GM Billy Eppler and potential future rule changes. Manfred told reporters that the investigation into Eppler, which looks into allegations of improper injured list use, should be completed before the end of the calendar year. While Manfred makes clear the league is not currently aware of a more widespread i sue beyond the Mets, he does note that he directed the leagues department of investigations to figure out whether we have a bigger problem regarding misuse of the injured list. While Manfred notes that the i sue with the Mets isnt quite the same as other i sues the league has investigated that, in his words, arguably affect the integrity of the game, he still considers the alleged offense by the Mets to be one of significance, adding that the investigation is a high priority for the league. Of course, so-called phantom IL stints have been Steven Adams Jersey commonplace in the league for decades, and have occurred on every team at one point or another, with some players even openly admitting that they arent actually injured while on the shelf. More nebulous diagnoses such as sorene s or fatigue can be used by a club to offer a struggling player a physical and mental reset while clearing their roster spot for a period of time. While the practice is technically illegal, its not currently clear what specific injured list transactions are at i sue that spurred the league to investigate Eppler and the Mets specifically for the relatively widespread practice. Manfred also spoke about potential rule changes the league could see in the future. The 2023 season saw one of the more aggre sive changes to the leagues rule set in recent years, as the league implemented a pitch clock, larger bases, and shift restrictions ahead of the campaign. Those changes have generally been well-received after their first season in use, and it appears the league could look to continue making rule adjustments. Specifically, Manfred acknowledged recent discourse around the leagues playoff format which has seen six of the eight teams that secured a first-round bye over the last three seasons fail to win a series has prompted the commi sioners office to discu s po sible changes, though he notes that hes a fan of the playoffs as currently designed. My own view on this is that our teams play really hard all year long to get into the playoffs, Manfred said, But one of the greatest things about the playoffs in baseball is, anybody can win. I dont think what happened this year is all that out of line with history. Another change Manfred discu sed was potentially lowering the maximum allowable number of pitchers on the active roster to 12. He noted that the 13 pitcher limit currently in place hasnt had the desired effect of encouraging teams to push their starting pitchers to stay in the game longer. While the eight teams that saw their starting pitchers throw le s than 800 innings this season is a noticeable drop from 12 in 2021, the last season before the current limit was introduced, its actually one more than in 2022 and the same number as 2019. Prior to 2019, only the 2018 Rays and the 2012 Rockies had gotten le s than 800 innings out of their starting pitchers in a season this century. Such a change, however, would not be on the table for the 2024 season. Manfred didnt discu s potential rules changes for the 2024 season, though he did note that any changes would be on a smaller scale after the significant rules adjustments the sport experienced in 2023. Wenyen Gabriel Jersey