New MLB rule proposal is guaranteed to lead to more Tommy John surgeries

Rob Manfred has another bad idea? Is it literally any day of the week?

Manfred and MLB have a unique solution to fix the dreaded bullpen game, which would be to force starting pitchers to throw at least six innings. Yes, I am serious. That is the idea.

"We are interested in increasing the amount of action in the game, restoring the prominence of the starting pitcher and reducing the prevalence of pitching injuries," an MLB official told ESPN. "There are a whole host of options in addressing those issues."

Rob Manfred's bad idea could lead to more pitcher injuries

I'm all for pitchers throwing more innings if it comes with less injury risk. Of course, that is rarely the case, as the fastball velocity and breaking pitches thrown these days vastly limits what a starting pitcher can do over the course of their career. If anything, Tommy John surgery is expected, rather than a rarity.

"I do that anyway," Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo said about the rule proposal. "We all want to go at least six."

Am I the only pundit to point out the injury risk of said rule? Also, starting pitching is still prioritized these days even if they throw less innings than, say, the 1980's. Pitching is more intense than it's ever been, in part because of the risk both starters and bullpen arms take on every time they take the mound. Starting pitchers earn a ton of money in free agency for a reason.

MLBPA should put an end to this ridiculous rule change proposal

There are some instances when a starting pitcher would be able to leave the game before the sixth inning, such as tossing 100 pitches, giving up four earned runs or more, or an injury, per ESPN. When asked how such a rule change would impact how he develops starting pitchers, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said he'd "look to build up pitch counts a bit sooner."

While that's not a bad idea given the rule, it also increases injury risk at a younger age. Again, that is the elephant in the room, and something the MLBPA must address before it's too late.

One assistant GM said the quiet part out loud, which would doom all pitchers to further injury risk. Now that we've seen pitchers throw THIS hard, it's tough to, say, dial back the MPH.

"The genie is out of the bottle when it comes to max velocity. I'm not sure it can go back in, no matter the rules," an assistant GM told ESPN.

MLB should always be looking for ways to improve the game, but asking pitchers to throw until their arms fall off could do irreversible damage.