Dodgers: New MLB Rule Could Heavily Impact LA

MLB submitted a new rule to the MLBPA on Thursday and it could make the Dodgers lives more difficult.

MLB and the MLBPA met on Thursday to work towards a new CBA. According to reports, the meeting lasted 15 minutes. That being said, there was rule proposed rule change that could heavily impact the Dodgers.

According to sources, MLB proposed a rule that would limit the number of times a club can option a player during a season. That could prove to be very challenging for the Dodgers.

MLB has proposed limiting the number of times a player can be optioned in a season to 5. The players have proposed limiting to 4, and the players are also concerned about what else comes along with MLB’s proposal to limit to 5. It has other changes attached to it.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 12, 2022

Under the current system, players can be optioned five times. In recent years, the Dodgers have taken full advantage of those rules. Unlike most clubs, the Dodgers use them judicially, but they leverage the rule to the hilt. Simply put, the Dodgers identify multiple players that can be sent-up and sent-down as needed.

The new rule proposal submitted by the league would make it so a team can only option a player four times. That could make cobbling together the back-end of the starting rotation a bit more difficult for the Dodgers.