The MLB lockout is over! Baseball is back and with some new rules to help the game progress. The MLB season will be a full 162 game season but with only 3 weeks of spring training to start the regular season on April 7th. Here are the new changes:
The Universal DH
The Universal Designated Hitter (DH) has been requested for the last couple years, and it is finally here. A designated hitter is a player who only hits in place of the pitcher. Because of this, so many more players will be able to have a place in the lineup and be able to improve teams’ chances of winning.
Expanded Postseason
More teams in the postseason will be nice because, one: the MLB makes more money, and two: it gives more teams a chance to win. There are now 12 teams in the playoffs instead of 10.
Draft Lottery
The draft has always been structured so that the best team is last and the worst is first. But now the first 6 picks will be picked by a lottery, and the 18 teams that don’t make the playoffs will have a chance to be in the lottery.
Incentives to Discourage Service Time Manipulation
Service time manipulation is a big problem for younger players. What some teams do is wait about 20 games into the season before bringing a prospect up from the minor leagues. By doing this, the player doesn’t gain a full year in the majors, and, as a result, the team has another year of control without paying the player millions of dollars. So they said that if they bring up the prospect and he gets top two in any award category, the team will get an extra draft pick.
Bigger Bases
The MLB has agreed to bigger bases to get people to steal bases. Also could prevent people from sliding over the base and give players the extra inch they need to stay on the base.
Banning The Shift
This has been controversial, but it happened and will come into play in the 2023 season. This change makes sure that two infielders stay on each side of the field. This will help players get more hits, help their team, and if they do better, probably get paid more.
Pitch Clock
Finally we have the pitch clock. This is to help the game go a bit faster so people stay engaged. The clock will be 14 second pitch clock if there is nobody on base. 19 seconds if there are runners on base. That's the end of the new rules being implemented into the MLB, hopefully some more big name free agents can sign to see which teams have the best chance at a championship.