With Rob Manfred taking over for Bud Selig on the weekend, the new commissioner appears poised to put his stamp on the game.
Manfred already suggested a possible ban on defensive shifts and believes the implementation of a pitch clock is inevitable. Here are six more changes we would like to see the 10th Commissioner of Baseball make:
Dan Toman: National League designated hitter
If there was a rule that challenged tradition, but inspired more offense and higher-quality baseball, wouldn't it be a change worth making? If Manfred wants to modernize the game without radical change, he should consider adding the National League designated hitter. The rule already applies to half the league and NL pitchers aren't getting any better at hitting.
Proponents of the DH usually focus on the pitcher's lack of offensive ability - and they're right - but making the pitcher bat inevitably cuts their outing on the mound short, too. Let Clayton Kershaw focus on getting batters out, give NL hitters a position they can own, and eliminate unnecessary pitching changes. Taking strategy out of the game? How about putting talent back in.
Jonah Birenbaum: Introduce automated umpires
"Human error is part of the game" is a refrain often spouted by those opposed to the idea of robot umpires. Racial segregation and the three-man rotation, of course, were also part of the game until, one day, they weren't.
The implementation of expanded replay in 2014 was a positive step for Major League Baseball, who continue to make progress towards reducing the frequency of incorrect calls, but this system only addresses the symptoms rather than the underlying issue: fallible human umpires.
Automated umpires wouldn't only make calls with greater consistency, but replacing humans with robots would eliminate the opportunity for managers to come out and argue, thereby speeding up baseball’s increasingly laborious game time - one of the pressing issues facing the newly-promoted commissioner.
Brandon Wile: Each team travels to every stadium at least once
For a schedule consisting of 162 games, the fact that teams don't play every team in a season continues to be an issue. With interleague less of a problem now that each league has 15 teams - allowing AL teams to face NL teams at any point in the season - there's no reason why each team can't feature at least a two game home-and-home series with each of the other 29 teams. To accommodate this, cut down the number of games played within the division.
In order to market the league's biggest stars, all fans should have the opportunity to see the likes of Mike Trout, Robinson Cano, Andrew McCutchen, etc. at least once a year.
Chris Toman: Best-of-3 wild card series
Change the wild card play-in game to a play-in series by extending it to a best of three. This would give it even more of a postseason feel, and allow teams an extra shot at extending its season after playing a grueling 162-game schedule. A short series would still be entertaining and marketable despite not having the allure of a one-game sudden death contest.
Manfred might also consider changing the Division Series to a best-of-seven format. The regular season can begin the fourth week of March in warmer states and the seven stadiums with roofs could be utilized to help combat poor weather conditions. Extended playoffs doesn't have to mean November baseball. More games. More excitement. More money.
Greg Warren: Make it easier for Cuban players to reach the majors
Improving relations between the United States and Cuba must also be reflected in MLB practices. Cuban talent is taking the league by storm with the likes of Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig, to name a few. However, many of these Cuban defectors are going to great lengths and putting themselves in grave danger (via, in essence, human trafficking) in order to get a chance to play in the majors.
A Cuban player who establishes residency in a third country - such as Haiti or Mexico - may sign as a free agent, as the current rules allow. But a player who seeks asylum in the U.S. and then declares for the majors is subject to the amateur draft. Reforming these rules to improve the safety of defectors and streamline the signing process of Cuban players should be at the top of Manfred’s to-do list.
George Halim: Axe the save rule
Eliminate the save rule. Nobody is born a closer, they end up as one. Even the game’s greatest closer, Mariano Rivera, began his career as a shoddy starter before finding his devastating - and career-saving - cutter.
The save needs to go because it’s an easily-attained stat for minimal work as a closer can - in the most literal sense - throw one pitch and pick up a save. Moreover, managers are trapped by the save because it’s the only stat that directly affects managerial strategy. They’ll disagree, but a manager typically uses his closer depending on whether or not it’s a save situation. The save has also run its course because the closer is completely overrated.
Why should the ninth inning belong to one pitcher? Let the bullpen pitch by committee and if a guy is dealing, pitch him again.
