The holidays are over, the new year is upon us, and spring training is right around the corner…or at least we hope it is. At 12:00am on December 2nd, 2021, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired, and the MLB owners officially instituted a lockout. While that did not come as a surprise to anyone, it was still disappointing to hear. No one knows how long the lockout will last or even when the two parties will head back to the bargaining table to start discussions again. It is likely that spring training will be shortened, but the ultimate goal is still to make sure that no regular season games are lost.
The discussions that have taken place between MLB and the MLB Player’s Association (MLBPA) have been about financial issues: things like arbitration years, when players can hit free-agency, minimum salaries, and so on. These are extremely important issues and talks about any kind of changes to the product on the field won’t be had until these problems are resolved. Since we won’t hear about any discussions regarding changes to the on-field product anytime soon, I thought I would discuss some rules that I would like to see implemented in the new CBA.
The Designated Hitter
Whereas the DH was adopted by the American League in 1973, the National League has yet to do the same, and hasn’t had a vote on it since 1980. That being said, I think now is the time to seriously consider the implementation of a universal DH. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the season was reduced to 60 games and several new rules were introduced for the season. One of the new rules was both the American League and National League would have the DH. It gave us a taste of what a universal DH would look like, and overall, the reviews were positive. It makes games more entertaining, but more importantly, gives certain players more at-bats.
There was discussion about having the universal DH again in 2021, but the change didn’t come to fruition. Now, with the CBA expired, it feels inevitable that the universal DH will be implemented, asboth parties are reportedly in favour of the change.If it is, it will be an excellent change to the game. Of course, there are going to be your traditionalist fans who won’t want it because they don’t want the game to be changed, but when you look at the big picture of the change, there are far more positives than negatives. The biggest positive would be that players that are primarily DH would have 15 more teams bidding on them during free agency. Guys like Nelson Cruz and Jorge Soler will get interest from all 30 teams if both leagues have the DH. It will also make the games more fun to watch. Traditionalists will argue that having the pitcher hit makes games more exciting, as there is more strategy to the game. However, if given the choice between seeing Nelson Cruz come up with runners on base or a pitcher, I want to see Cruz. It will also give more at-bats to certain players because there will be one more spot in the lineup that needs to be filled. The other positive about the universal DH is to reduce injuries to pitchers. Injuries are part of the game, and can happen at any time, but if there is a way to possibly reduce injuries, it should be done. There is nothing worse than a pitcher injuring themself while hitting or running the bases. Last season, Cardinals’ ace Jack Flaherty sustained a left oblique strain while batting, and he missed over two months of the season as a result. Injuries like this to pitchers could be avoided or mitigated with the implementation of a universal DH.
7-Inning Doubleheaders & Ghost Runners
Two other rule changes that were implemented for the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to COVID-19 were 7-inning double-headers and a runner starting on second base in extra innings. It’s been reported that these two rules likely won’t be back, but I think they should be discussed and not written off right away. Both were met with grief by fans, but they both serve a purpose; reduce game times and mitigate workload. Starting with the 7-inning double-headers – I am not a big fan of it, mostly because it changes the game too much for me. I understand that playing 18 innings in one day is grueling and can ruin a team’s pitching for a few days, but on the flipside, playing two 7-inning games doesn’t seem right. My suggestion would be that the game that was postponed becomes a 7-inning game, but the game that was originally scheduled for that day remain as 9 innings. This would still reduce the innings played in a day, but still keep some integrity to the sport.
The extra-inning rule on the other hand, I am a fan of. I enjoyed it back when I first saw it in the World Baseball Classic in 2017, and I am in favour of it in MLB. Baseball games are long enough as is, and we don’t need to sit though a 5 hour, 15-inning game in the middle of June. Fans say that this rule changes the game too much and ruins the ending to games when the ghost runner is the deciding run. I, however, think it adds a little more excitement to extra innings and even induces more strategy. Most importantly, it ends games quicker which can help teams preserve their bullpen. 16-inning games benefit nobody, and this rule is a good way to add excitement and ensure games don’t go ridiculously long. This rule is similar to how the NHL does a shootout after a five-minute period of overtime. One thing MLB could do is have the runner start on second base in the 12th inning and later. This allows for two more innings of “regular baseball” before the ghost runner comes into play.
Expanded Playoffs
A big change to the game that has been discussed is the idea of expanded playoffs. Currently, ten teams make the playoffs; this is the least amount of playoff teams amongst North American sports. We saw what expanded playoffs could look like in MLB, as they increased the number of playoff teams to 16 in 2020 due to the shortened season. While 16 may be too many teams, there may be a happy medium. Expanding the playoffs will give more teams opportunities to make the playoffs, should they not be able to win their division. The MLBPA has argued that this will not incentivise spending money on players in free agency, as teams won’t have to try that hard to make the playoffs if more teams get in. However, I wholeheartedly disagree. I think expanding the playoffs will increase spending, as teams will see a bigger window to make the playoffs. For example, if you are the Cleveland Guardians, and you believe you aren’t able to contend with the White Sox for the division, your only way into the playoffs, as it stands, is via one of the two wildcard spots. They may look at potential wild card teams like the Blue Jays and Yankees and feel like they can’t compete, so they won’t even bother. But if there are two more playoff spots up for grabs, the Guardians may feel more inclined to spend as they have a greater chance to make it.
Although, a big challenge of expanding the playoffs is doing it in a way that still makes the regular season meaningful and puts an incentive on winning your division. The division winners need to have a worthwhile advantage in the playoffs or else it completely devalues the division title. Expanded playoffs will lead to more fun for fans and the players, more meaningful games in the season, more exciting playoff games, and more money. This is something that should seriously be considered as it would be a win-win for everyone and more importantly, the sport.
It is now 2022 and spring training would be scheduled to begin a little over a month from now. It is unlikely that it will start on time as MLB and the MLBPA have had no serious discussions since the last week of November, and probably won’t have them again until they feel pressure in early February. The monetary and compensatory aspects of the CBA are most important and are the issues that the two sides are furthest apart on. Once they are able to agree on those issues, they will have to address rules and changes to the on-field product. These are just a few possible new rules that could be implemented in the CBA, but it remains to be seen if any actually will be introduced.
I really don’t understand why everyone wants to “speed up the game.” If you are bored, turn it off, go home, or do something else. Everything does not have to cater to those with short attention spans. I have about quit going to live games because no one will sit and watch. They are up and down more than a jack-in-the-box and seem to have to consideration for those of us who want to see what is happening on the field. I juess you can put me in the “cranky old lady” category.
It isn’t about speeding up the game, it is more about there being more action and making the game move along. The extra-inning rule is just to make sure that games end at a reasonable time. Like I mentioned, there is no need for 5 hour, 16-inning games in June. Those types of games don’t benefit anyone.