MLB Preseason to Have Shorter Duration Starting in 2018

The MLB preseason will have two fewer days starting in 2018, when the new collective bargaining agreement restrictions on game start times on travel days will take effect.

The voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers, and injured players will be 43 days before the regular season opener, instead of 45, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. For the rest of the players, the date will be 38 days instead of 40.

The reason for the change is to schedule each team's 162 regular season games over 187 days instead of 183.

Matt Nussbaum, legal counsel for the players' union, said that the union's goal will be to create more off days during the season "in a way that doesn't take away days during the vacation period."

"We constantly hear and will continue to hear that spring training lasts too long, that players are ready well before Opening Day, but I think what the commissioner's office would tell you is that it's complicated for clubs to substantially reduce spring training because they have various commitments to putting together a certain number of games," Nussbaum commented on Monday.

Regarding travel days, the game time will be determined by calculating the flight duration plus two and a half hours after 7:00 p.m.

There are exceptions for games broadcasted by ESPN on Sunday nights and games played after June 1st at the Texas Rangers' current stadium — where afternoon games are avoided due to the heat during a significant part of the season.

Another new rule for 2018 states that a game cannot be scheduled before 5:00 p.m. when the team played in another city starting at 7:00 p.m. or later. There are exceptions for 90-minute flights or less to start a series and for weekends with holidays.

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