Change can be good, if the change is a good one. I think Yogi Berra might have said that. At any rate, baseball, a sport that through history has often been accused of being allergic to adaptation, appears to be on the cusp of more than change. It’s more akin to a metamorphosis.
You’ve seen the proposals that are rumored to be on the table, but let’s start with this list from ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
• A three-batter minimum for pitchers;
• A universal designated hitter;
• A 20-second pitch clock;
• The expansion of rosters to 26 men, with a 12-pitcher maximum;
• A study to lower the mound;
• Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams;
• A rule that would allow two-sport amateurs to sign major league contracts.
Let’s begin with the last two of those bullet points, because there is a stark difference between them and the other five items. The draft proposal is obviously an anti-tanking measure and whether it would have the desired impact would entirely depend on the form the rule would take.