New Pirates braintrust Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton adjusting to new MLB rules

A new management team and new manager will have to navigate new MLB rules during their first season in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MLB is the midst of a dramatic, if gradual, reshaping of decades-long rules practices. For the 2020 season, the most notable of these changes is active rosters are expanding from 25 to 26 players and requiring pitchers to face at least three batters or pitch to the end of a half-inning before a pitching change can be made.

There are other tweaks that will be new to fans this season — mostly in relation to roster sizes, such as the firm designation of a player as a “pitcher” or “position player,” and instituting a mandatory 28-man roster in September. But it is the April-through-August roster size and the three-batter rule that have generated the most chatter.

On a macro level, neither should have a noticeably striking effect in how general manager Ben Cherington shapes his roster or in how manager Derek Shelton deploys his players. But, as Cherington put it, the rule changes can have an invigorating effect on those who work in the industry because many will take it as a challenge to figure out the best way to manipulate the changes.

“I think for all of us, there’s a level of excitement with that,” Cherington said, “to figure out something new. How do we take advantage of that in a way that makes sense for the Pirates?”

MLB, MLBPA ANNOUNCE ON-FIELD AGREEMENT

Series of Changes Will Go Into Effect Over Next Two Seasonshttps://t.co/Cm9ZupDlNJ pic.twitter.com/Pyh0aE86nK

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) March 14, 2019

The three-batter minimum is another salvo thrown by commissioner Rob Manfred in his effort to shorten the length of games. The 26-man roster’s implementation can be traced to the trend of pitching staffs that have reached 13 men (or more) on most teams after they typically carried 10-man staffs just three decades earlier.

The Pirates carried eight relievers most of last season, and at times, even nine. Assuming a five-man rotation (albeit with the advent of the “opener,” and with an emphasis on rest and recovery often compelling teams to add “spot starters,” that’s no guarantee anymore), the Pirates in 2020 could again have an eight-man bullpen but now maintain a five-man bench.

That would allow more flexibility for in-game moves, double-switches and the utilization of pinch hitters. It also could make for an extra slugger on the bench — in recent seasons, many times a team’s bench was comprised of, for example, a backup catcher, a fourth outfielder and two utility types who can play all around the infield.

Now, it’s more likely a power-hitting type (who could have little positional versatility) could be kept for use late in games off to pinch hit.

“(The 26th man) is certainly something ‘Shelty’ and his staff will be spending even more time on than I am, but we’ll talk about it a lot,” Cherington said. “We’ve already had some discussion about potential ways to use that spot.

“You can be creative with how you (pick a 26th man).”

Creativity will seemingly be a must in making decisions about what relievers to keep on the team and what relievers to use in certain situations now that, for example, the righty-lefty-righty late-inning path through the middle of an opponent’s lineup is banned.

Not everyone is against the three batter minimum rule.

David Aardsma believes it will forces teams to develop well rounded relief pitchers. pic.twitter.com/vXpisNuVrL

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) March 16, 2019

While pointing out the use of the proverbial “situational lefty” had been curbed in recent years anyway, Cherington acknowledged it will be even less of a desired skillset now.

“We’ve got to think a lot about that from a development standpoint,” Cherington said. “In terms of the deployment of it and how to manage the staff, it’s probably a better question for ‘Shelty.’ ”

For his part, Shelton must adjust to the three-batter rule not only in how he deploys his relievers but in how he fills out his lineup. Managers have always been cognizant of splitting up right- and left-handed hitters; now, that will be all the more sensible.

“I honestly think how the bullpen functions now with the three-batter minimum rule, it may change how a lot of people look at it,” Shelton said. “That rule in and of itself is going to change how people build their lineups, how managers manage their bullpen, the right-left. There are a lot factors that come into play.”

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