Major League Baseball is trying, but nothing is working.

Despite rule changes and radical ideas to speed up the game, baseball has never been longer. At the start of play on August 15, the average nine-inning game time this regular season sat at three hours and five minutes.

As ESPN pointed out, it's the longest average game time in MLB history and up five minutes from just one year ago.

Despite a few small changes for the 2017 season -- requiring managers to decide more promptly whether to challenge an umpire's call and making intentional walks automatic -- the average nine-inning contest is now 3 hours, 5 minutes -- the longest average in baseball history and up five minutes from last year. That's also already the second-largest year-over-year increase since integration. And since games get slower with September call-ups, the final month will quite possibly add a minute or two to that average.

Based on the upcoming 40-man roster call-ups and managers ready and willing to empty out bullpens in crucial late-season games, this isn't going to get any better. We could be staring at a full season in which nine-inning games take longer than three hours and five minutes.

Unless something drastic changes between now and the end of the season, expect baseball to once again address this in the offseason. Unlike in past years, commissioner Rob Manfred may not simply seek ideas from players. Instead, mandates--like a pitch clock at the big league level--could be coming soon.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.