Report: MLB owners rejected proposals to add more protective netting

(AP Photo) Major League Baseball’s owners rejected proposals to extend protective netting around the field during the last two labor negotiations, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.

The request, which was proposed by the MLB Players Association, would have extended protective netting down the foul lines, and potentially to the foul poles. The owners rejected the idea in both 2007 and 2012, according to the report.

Fan safety has been a major concern recently after a fan was struck with a bat in Boston on Friday. That fan, Tonya Carpenter, was in “serious but stable condition” Saturday.

The owners reportedly rejected the proposal because they believed more protective netting would take away from fan enjoyment.

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Brad Ziegler doesn’t think that would be an issue, according to FoxSports.

“Some owners are afraid to upset the fans that pay some of the highest ticket prices, when in reality, it’s an effort to protect those very fans,” said Diamondbacks reliever Brad Ziegler, a member of the negotiating committee for the players’ union.

“(The owners) seem afraid that fans will lose access to the players – autographs, getting baseballs, etc. — and that will cause those ticket holders to be unhappy. Or, that they’d have to watch the game through a net. (But) fans behind home plate pay the highest prices, have the same issues, and yet those seats are always full.”

Some of the concern from the players seems to stem from the increased use of maple bats. A 2008 study revealed that broken bats had become more frequent due to the switch to maple. In 2012, the league altered the rules, requiring players to use higher density bats.

[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]

A spokesperson told FoxSports that new commissioner Rob Manfred would likely revisit the idea of adding more protective netting.

The next collective-bargaining agreement is set to expire following the 2016 season. Given the recent concerns about fan safety, the issue could become a primary focus of the Players Association in the months leading up to negotiations.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: