Cubs catcher Willson Contreras says he’ll defy MLB rule on mound visits

Major League Baseball is set to have some new rules put into place for the 2018 season. And one player on the Chicago Cubs isn’t happy about it.

New MLB rules laid out by commissioner Rob Manfred dictate that catchers and managers are limited to six mound visits per game. This is in an effort to improve baseball’s pace-of-play, which can be a hot-button issue for fans of the sport.

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, though, is not having it.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com, the young catcher is not pleased with the new rule and says he plans to defy it if necessary. Contreras had this to say:

"What about a tight game or an extra-inning game and you have to go out there? They cannot say anything about that. That’s my team. If they are going to fine me for mound visit No. 7, I’ll pay the price."

That’s a pretty bold statement from the Cubs’ 26-year-old catcher. Contreras is known for being a fiery player, so it’s not surprising to see him be so outspoken on this issue. But what that “price” will be for breaking the new rule is unclear at this point. From what we know so far, there won’t be any kind of penalty for a seventh mound visit. The umpires will just do their best to prevent it from happening at all.

This is sure to spark plenty of controversy once the season starts. Pitchers and catchers always need to be on the same page, so we’ll no doubt see this rule attempted to be broken throughout the season.

Next: Red Sox fans react to J.D. Martinez signing

It will be interesting to see if breaking this new rule results in fines and/or ejections at some point. Either way, Contreras appears to be ready to rebel against it.