Major League Baseball and the World Umpires Association have tentatively agreed on a new five-year contract through Dec. 31, 2014. The old deal was set to expire this Dec. 31 and the new one is expected to be ratified by the middle of January.
The owners meet in Paradise Valley, Ariz., on Jan. 13-14, while the umpires have their annual meeting in Scottsdale on Jan. 18-19. The owners and union have been in negotiations all year on this new deal, and for the second consecutive time have come to agreement without acrimony.
Both sides said they would not comment on the substance of the agreement until ratification, although it has been reported that MLB was seeking more flexibility in assigning umpires during the postseason, and in expanding instant replay.
Under the auspices of the old agreement, umpires can’t work in consecutive playoff series, meaning that the crews which called the two League Championship Series can’t do the same in the World Series.
As far as replay is concerned, it now covers boundary calls on home runs — fair or foul, in or out. That issue was negotiated with umpires outside of regular collective bargaining in 2008, and the program was put in place in September of that year.
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I think this rule will help, as an Los Angeles Angels fan i think you guys would know why
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