Owners hard at work on pace of play, CBA

NEW YORK — Some players have received calls. Others have gotten letters or a word from their club’s communications departments.

The messages, Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Thursday at the conclusion of the quarterly Owners Meetings at Major League Baseball’s headquarters, are to “re-emphasize the significance of the pace-of-game initiatives.”

Those changes were instituted last season, and the early results were dramatic. But those gains have evaporated to an extent in the early weeks of this season.

“Like is often the case, as you get deeper into the season, you lose focus a little bit,” Manfred said. “We’re not happy with the early returns this year. Pace of the game is an issue that requires constant vigilance and focus. We’ve made some ongoing efforts to regain that focus.”

The Commissioner said there are some hopeful signs. Tuesday and Wednesday were the two best back-to-back days in terms of average time of games this season.

Pace of play is often linked with instant replay, and the number of reviews has increased this season. Manfred said he’s at least willing to consider putting a time limit on the process.

“We haven’t reached the conclusion that we have a time problem,” Manfred said. “It’s been literally seconds. But if we do, I am open to that idea.

“We’re looking really hard at the number of replays we’ve had. We’re paying very, very close …

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