Manfred open to shorter commercial breaks during games

Speeding up baseball could mean taking a chunk out of some TV ads.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who has been exploring all possible avenues recently with the players' association to find a way to quicken the pace of play in baseball, is considering shortening television commercial breaks to accomplish his goal.

"I fully agree with the idea of examining our commercial load in our broadcasts and is something that we should be doing," Manfred told Forbes' Maury Brown. "There are contractual limitations on when we can do this; we have existing commitments. But, that certainly should be an issue we look at, as well."

Manfred has already accomplished one of his goals this offseason with an eye on shortening games.

After reaching an agreement with the union in February, pitchers will no longer need to throw a single pitch for an intentional walk this season. Instead, teams will reportedly replace the procedure with a sign from the dugout.