I still like Joe Maddon, but I absolutely disagree with his stance and everyone else who thinks the National League shouldn’t have the DH. It’s been way overdue and the time seems to be coming for the universal DH happening in Major League Baseball.
Ken Rosenthal’s latest report in The Athletic details recent negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA and shares proposals from both sides to improve the state of baseball. The biggest rule change the league has proposed is requiring a pitcher to face a minimum of three batters. So, that basically means if the rule is adopted then you can say goodbye to the left-handed specialist coming out of the bullpen to just face one tough left-handed batter.
The players association responded with its own set of proposals and having the DH in the National League is part of it.
Via The Athletic.
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As part of a Jan. 14 proposal to the players’ union on pace of play, baseball suggested a rule requiring pitchers to face a minimum of three batters, sources told The Athletic.
The Major League Baseball Players Association responded last Friday with its own comprehensive proposal that addressed the players’ concerns on competitive integrity and service-time manipulation in multifaceted fashion, sources said. A lowering of a team’s draft position for failing to reach a specified win total in a certain number of seasons is believed to be part of the union’s plan.
A universal designated hitter — something the players have sought for more than three decades, according to commissioner Rob Manfred — also was part of the union’s proposal. Under the plan, the National League would adopt the DH for the 2019 season.
The negotiations will continue and you should expect both sides to give in on certain demands. Hopefully one of them is finally having the DH in the National League. Maybe they don’t completely adopt the rule in 2019, implementing the universal DH during all interleague games, including NL ballparks and then go all in the following year.
MLB also wants to limit mound visits from six to four during a game and then down to three visits starting in 2020. There has also been talk about expanding rosters to 26, extending time a player can be on the disabled list, but the two biggest rule changes are the three-batter minimum for pitchers and a universal DH.
Read all about it here.
Three-batter requirement for all pitchers, universal DH among proposals that could bring big changes to baseball. Latest for The Athletic: https://t.co/bgAvZWkXly $
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2019
Give me the universal DH or give me death.
