With the Collective Bargaining Agreement officially expiring on December 1st at 12:01am, our national pastime is officially in a lock-out, AKA a rich person stand off. The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and MLB were unable to come together and reach a labor agreement, meaning there are likely to be weeks (or months - ew) of contentious negotiations. MLB Commish Rob Manfred released a statement, essentially saying how disappointed he was that the players refused to acquiesce to the owners demands, and the owners were “forced” to initiate a lockout. Lol, ok boomer.
With the lockout underway, basically all contact between players and their teams is cut off - with the exception of representatives doing the communicating. Both the owners and the players have put forward proposals, but no one is really taking them seriously. Rule changes are not even really being considered, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, meaning that money is really the only thing anyone wants to talk about. The players want more money, earlier access to making big money and for their salaries to reflect the current increase in revenue (salaries have, in fact, gone down). The owners don’t want that, point blank, no if’s ands or buts about it.
Like I said, a rich person stand off.
All of the talks of negotiations got me thinking about what I would change about baseball. So, I thought it would be fun to come up with new ideas, fun ideas, silly ideas and ridiculous ideas to make the game I love even better! Let’s go!
In NO particular order…
Instead of Universal DH, have an Optional DH
I am generally in favor of having a designated hitter, simply because watching pitchers try to hit is awful 99% of time and I’d rather see a beefy DH hit dingers. HOWEVER. Have y’all watched Zack Greinke hit? It’s glorious. Not only is he the best eephus pitcher in the game, the man can also hit a baseball! There are some pitchers who actually enjoy hitting and want to hit, so I think teams should have the option of allowing their pitchers to hit if they want. Have the DH most of the time, but in games where pitchers want to/can be an offensive option, the team can inform their opponent a few hours prior to the game. This would be cool for a guy like Shohei Ohtani, the best hitting pitcher in the game, because he could pitch AND hit in the same game, rather than be just a DH on the days he’s not on the mound. This would be a fun compromise for the parties who are in favor of a DH and those in favor of pitchers hitting.
Allow players to make more money in their prime
How many times do you roll your eyes when you see a player who is VERY clearly on the backend of his career signing a record contract? How dumb is it that brightest stars in baseball are making the league minimum? Baseball has some of the longest contracts in sports, and some of the longest rookie contracts, meaning players can’t capitalize on their talents until they are much further along in their career. This also means teams are paying out the ass for players who are likely on the decline - wouldn’t you rather pay your guy that money while it’s still worth it, rather than paying a 40+ year old bench warmer a bazillion dollars a year? Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Pay minor league players a living wage
Of all the major sports, baseball is the only one with a “thriving” minor league system that almost ALL players must go through. Basketball and football basically treat college like their minor leagues and put their athletes into the game right away. Because footballers and basketball players are going into games almost immediately, they are making a big-league salary right away, which is substantial. In baseball, though, even if you have several years of college baseball experience, you will likely still have to slog through several seasons in the minor leagues before making a big league roster. And folks, these minor league players are paid hot trash, especially when you consider how much money their parent clubs are making. Like, I make more than most minor leaguers per year and I am just an executive assistant. A monkey could do my job. A monkey cannot play baseball, although I wouldn’t be mad to see one try. ANYWAY. Major League clubs can afford to pay minor league players far better, they just choose not to. Players shouldn’t also have second jobs just so they can afford to live in whatever itty bitty town their minor league club is in.
Runners always start on second in extra innings
This is one COVID-related rule change I’d love to see kept in place. Baseball games are long and extra innings can be a slog, so having that runner on second was a fun little twist that forces teams to actually play better baseball. And if we can possibly end the game sooner, I’m here for it. I love baseball, but my sleepy self is not staying up later than necessary to watch teams go it for hours on end.
Batters can only adjust their batting gloves three times per at-bat
If pitchers have to have to a pitch clock, batters need to stop fiddling with their gloves after Every. Single. Pitch. Like, nah fam, if you’re adjusting your gloves more than three times in an at-bat, you lose batting glove privileges. My boyfriend doesn’t watch a lot of baseball, but when he does, he insists on pointing out how many times a batter steps off the plate to adjust his gloves. And boy oh boy, I did not realize how much time is wasted by dudes strapping and unstrapping and restrapping their gloves…
Players Weekend, but do it once a month
Seeing the players put nicknames on the back of their jerseys is delightful, and one of the best things MLB has done in recent years. Not only did we get fun nicknames, but we got colorful bats, fun cleats and loosened up players. MLB should allow teams to do this once a month, or at least let players use colorful bats and shoes and swag all the time. I love seeing players’ personalities shine through and it’s the best part of the game.
Make the Diamondbacks go back to their purple and teal uniforms permanently
Look, Sedona red is nice, but purple and teal is better. It’s old school, it’s iconic, they won their only World Series wearing purple and teal. A bunch of teams have red as part of their team colors, but only one other team has purple and no team has teal. The Diamondbacks are hot garbage right now, and perhaps a change of uniforms is just what the doctor ordered! And by doctor, I mean me.
No more blackouts
If you want people to watch baseball, how about you quit blacking out the games in local markets? This hurts people who don’t have cable or live sports streaming, and honestly, the “markets” cover so many miles that it’s unfathomable. When I was visiting my mom in North Carolina, I wanted to steam a Yankees @ Braves game. Guess what? North Carolina is apparently Braves Country according to MLB, so I couldn’t watch the game. And guess what channels NC doesn’t carry? Anything that shows the Braves. Why a Braves game was blacked out hundreds of miles away from Atlanta is beyond me, and there are similar stories across the country. If you want to grow the game, you need to people to be able to watch the games.
Every team must have a bat dog
Because all the good doggos would make every game better! What would boost morale better than a good pupper coming out of the dugout to retrieve the bats?!
So, there you have it. Just a few of my half-to-three-quarter-baked ideas to improve baseball. I have no idea why they haven’t made me commissioner yet.
New and fun ideas to improve the game are insightful and thought-provoking. Overall, this article is a great read for both casual baseball fans and die-hard enthusiasts alike.
as some tips are also discussed here as well:
https://bbcorhitter.com/how-to-teach-sliding-in-baseball/