It looks like there are some rule changes coming to Major League Baseball. The competition committee has unanimously approved two new tweaks for the next MLB season.
While they might not drastically change the way the game looks in 2025, they do tighten up a couple of loopholes teams have been trying to exploit. So, what’s new? Let’s break it down.
Cracking Down on the Shift Rule
Remember those extreme defensive shifts that had teams stacking three infielders on one side of the diamond?
Yeah, those days are long gone. Under the current rules, teams are required to keep two infielders on each side of second base when the pitch is thrown.
Up until now, if a team violated this rule—say, a shortstop creeping over the line too soon—the offense had a choice: take the result of the play or get an automatic ball added to the count.
Well, MLB decided that wasn’t quite enough of a deterrent. With the change in the new rule, a shift violation comes with a much stiffer penalty.
If a fielder is caught out of position, the batter automatically gets first base, and any runners on base will move up accordingly.
On top of that, the guilty fielder will be charged with an error, and the batter won’t even be credited with a plate appearance.
In other words, mistakes are going to cost teams—big time. This rule aims to ensure that defenses stay honest and play within the intended spirit of the game.
Stopping the Base-Running Loophole
Next up, MLB addresses a sneaky little trick that some teams—notably the Yankees—were pulling off in 2024.
Picture this: runners on first and third with two outs, a ground ball is hit, and the defense tries to turn the force play at second to end the inning.
Instead of stopping at second like a normal baserunner, teams were coaching their guys to blow right past the bag at full speed.
The idea? If the runner could beat the throw and be ruled safe, the run from third would count before the inevitable third out was called for running out of the baseline.
MLB Officials Have More Authority
Replay officials now have the authority to determine whether the runner abandoned the baseline before the run scored. If they did, the run won’t count.
This effectively closes the loophole and ensures baserunners can’t just treat second base like a throughway to steal a cheap run.
Runners will have to either hold the bag or round it properly if they want to advance going forward.
While these changes aren’t groundbreaking, they reinforce MLB’s ongoing effort to create a fair, competitive balance on the field.
If nothing else, it’s another reason to keep an eye on those bang-bang plays that make baseball so exciting.
