If you could make 5 changes to baseball.....

[paul253]

what would they be?

 

I was thinking about this the other night. As much as I love baseball, there are some things I'd love to see happen. If I was the commish and could implement this without any issues from owners or the PA, this is what i'd do....

 

1) World wide draft- Its insane that players from certain countries have to get drafted and players from other countries dont. Not to mention obviously teams like the Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox have more money and resources to scout international players and can afford to make mistakes more often. That Daiske Matsuzaka sweepstakes was an absolute joke.

 

2). Rookie salary cap-it would not only limit these absurd bonuses players are getting, but it would also ensure the better players have a chance to get drafted by the weaker teams, which is where they should go. Guys are slipping down to late first round because teams like KC, Pittsburgh, and others don't want to pay them what they are demanding.

 

3) Realignment- I think another joke is one division with 6 teams and one division with 4 teams, along with one league having more teams than the other. Take one team, such as Houston, and move them the the AL West. I would suggest adding 2 teams and switching to 4 divisions, but i dont think we need any more teams.

 

4) Expand the playoffs- make it similar to the NFL. Top two teams get a first round bye. The other division winner gets homefield and three wildcard teams.

 

5) Eliminate the DH- no real reason for this, I just hate it. I dont think players should be making millions of dollars a year to swing a bat 4 times a night and not play defense. To me you're not a baseball player unless you play defense.

[logan82]

1) I like that idea

2)Make the slotted values more than a suggestion

3)Like the idea of evening things out, but makes it tough having an odd number of teams in each league

4)No, the playoffs are fine. They go to long as it is already

5)I can go either way on the DH

I would like to do something to make strike zones more consistent. Replace the ball and strike calls with a machine. At the very least try to make umpires more accountable on their ball and strike calls.

Public discipline for over aggressive umpires. I know they are human, but they should be above going after players and coaches. Just disgraceful how some umpires act.

[paul253]

I guess I dont mind the umpires. I dont mind human error is officiating, but holding them more accountable is definitely a good idea. One thing I dont want is replay. Games are long enough already. I guess maybe in the playoffs on homeruns, because a replay or two should be able to determine it right away, but no need to use it in every game on something.

 

I am a big supporter of making the divisions even. I think its crap that the Brewers have to beat out 5 teams to win the division and the Angels have to beat out 3.

 

As far as the playoffs go, they could make them much quicker if they wanted to by simply eliminating all the days off in between games. Make round one 2 of 3...round two 3 of 5 and the LCS and World Series 4 of 7.

[nate82]

1. Agreed

2. I also agree with this

3. It doesn't work out as well as the NFL did though with the number of teams per division and where the teams are located. I agree that 4 divisions would be great it would also eliminate the wild card which some people are against.

4. As long as the first round playoff games are a 1 game elimination this could work or shorten the length of the season by 1 month.

5. The DH is fine with me I don't really care either way though.

 

I would also like some instant replay in baseball mostly just the home run and fair or foul calls to be able to be called on by replay. If they implement the College football system for instant replay that would be perfect.

[T B0NE 10]

I think the playoffs should stay the same. Its a 162 game season, and if you win enough games to make the playoffs, it shouldn't be a 1 game playoff ever.

[mothershipconnection]

1. Yes, but it ties in to #2 - you can only pay up to the slot value of your upcoming draft picks, and you forfeit the corresponding pick.

 

2. Love it. Having suffered through Selig-Bando nonsense, I want crappy teams to get better.

 

3. Yeah,, realign, and then spread interleague evenly throughout the year instead of making an event of it - it's not special anymore.

 

4. I like the current system.

 

5. Dump the DH. I've never been a fan of having an extra player who can't manage to play defense. That, and it allows wealthy teams to horde an extra 1B they otherwise wouldn't have roster space for.

[Diskono]

1) World wide draft- Its insane that players from certain countries have to get drafted and players from other countries dont. Not to mention obviously teams like the Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox have more money and resources to scout international players and can afford to make mistakes more often. That Daiske Matsuzaka sweepstakes was an absolute joke.

I'm not sure about this. Matsuzaka had a contract with another professional club, they should not be expected to just give him up for nothing the second a Major League club came knocking. If some team in Japan demands a huge transfer fee for one of their players, they have every right to do so.

 

[logan82]

Diskono wrote:

I'm not sure about this. Matsuzaka had a contract with another professional club, they should not be expected to just give him up for nothing the second a Major League club came knocking. If some team in Japan demands a huge transfer fee for one of their players, they have every right to do so.

He would have to get out of his current contract or wait until it expires then declare himself eligible for the MLB draft like every other player.

[brewcrewman17]

I've always wondered what would happen to offensive numbers if they moved the bases to 89 feet, or maybe even 89 1/2 feet.

 

Or if they raised or lowered the mound 2 or 3 inches.

 

I've also always been curious to see what kind of things would happen if they expanded foul territory hugely, or eliminated the outfield walls.

 

These are all totally crazy ideas that aren't practical, but it's fun to think about what an inning would have looked like if they bases were shorter or the walls were gone.

[Mike Felder]

*DH in both leagues.

*Worldwide draft.

*Salary cap (don't know how much, but there should be one).

*Some type of machine that calls balls and strikes (by the rulebook definition - the high strike is back for real)

*Move up the start time of postseason games by an hour or so since they all seem to last about an hour longer than the typical game. That way people don't have to choose between watching the game and being zombies at work the next day.

[pitchleague]

I actually don't mind the Brewers being in the lone division with 6 teams. It's more like baseball of long ago. Heck, before the realignment into the 6 divisions, you had to beat 6 other teams to win your division. Before 1969, you had to beat 11 other teams (of course, you automatically made the World Series if you did it.) It makes us look tougher to me because, maybe, we had to earn it a little bit more.

 

Whatever they do, DON'T make a mockery of the post-season by allowing more teams in. I hate the NBA and NHL which have practically half the league make the playoffs. Before expansion in the 90s, hockey had almost 60% of it's teams making the playoffs!

 

I'd get rid of the DH. Boring to watch baseball without as much strategy as the NL game. Yes, the AL has strategy, but not as much as the NL.

 

I, personally, wouldn't mind seeing them go back to the 154-game schedule, but that won't happen anytime soon.

 

I'm all for instant replay on home run calls or fair/foul calls, but I'd also limit it to a "challenge" system similar to the NFL. Maybe one challenge per manager per game, and if you "win" your challenge, you get one additional challenge (but that's it.)

 

If were changing baseball, can we get rid of guaranteed contracts and give everybody a base salary with performance clauses? Okay, every player in MLB gets $500,000! Every hit adds on $10,000, every HR puts on another $50,000, etc. etc. Sure, teams can still do clauses for MVP, Cy Young, Silver Slugger, All-Star team, etc.

[logan82]

I forgot to add that home plate umpires should be required to check with 3B or 1B on all check swings.

[IslandsAC]

1) I say get a system in place to enact a maximum salary and then gradually lower it until it is in the $200,000 range. I've always thought this and would be curious to hear an argument as to why any entertainer needs to make more money than that (not why it won't happen, but why it shouldn't happen). Would the allure of young kids dreaming of one day playing baseball be any less?

 

If there were a max salary across the board in the six figures, I could imagine a decent amount of players refusing to play. Refuse to cave and bring in the next wave of eager ballers. We would miss the stars for a season or two but then we would have a whole new generation of stars (or they would realize they want to play again, boom).

 

I realize the players union would never allow it and that the free market dictates the salaries, but I've always seen the amount of money being thrown around in professional sports as a sick joke. Plus I can change any 5 things I want...

 

2) Cheaper beer at the stadium

3) Since the brewers likely will only play one or two doubleheaders a year, put a couple more into the schedule, becuase doubleheaders are awesome.

4) Mic the umps and coaches like the little league world series (and heck, throw in the little "Favorite movie, favorie food, etc" graphic for all the players too)

5) I wish teams would get in line and shake hands with the opposing team after every game. I realize that making it a requirement would somewhat defeat the purpose - I just wish it was a classy baseball tradition.

[Jimbo]

I say get a system in place to enact a maximum salary and then gradually lower it until it is in the $200,000 range.

Are you willing to propose a maximum on owner's profits? Why should they make more than six figures?

[TSack27]

I say get a system in place to enact a maximum salary and then gradually lower it until it is in the $200,000 range.

Are you willing to propose a maximum on owner's profits? Why should they make more than six figures?

 

Dropping the ticket prices to single digits, making parking free, having the team pay for their own stadium, putting all games on free TV/internet, and beer & merchandise costing no more than at the local grocery or retail store should help keep the owners in the six figure range.

 

1) I'm on board with the international draft suggestion.

2) Pay guys based on current worth (balance), don't hold back the pre-arby guys like Hart & Fielder and overpay guys like Counsel & Mota

3) Get rid of guaranteed contracts, let guys get cut that aren't holding up at the tail end of contracts like the NFL

4) Replay for fair/foul homeruns, with the review coming from the booth like Big Ten football

5) Stadium design requirements that reduce the freak rulings - get rid of flag poles in centerfield, fences that zig-zag up & down in height, seats that let fans reach into fair play, offsets that cause balls to ricochet off at bizarre angles, and more than a foot of foul territory down the outfield lines (injury prevention).

[IslandsAC]

I say get a system in place to enact a maximum salary and then gradually lower it until it is in the $200,000 range.

Are you willing to propose a maximum on owner's profits? Why should they make more than six figures?

 

I'd be ok with that. I realize that owners may become less inclined to take the risk of owning a team, but I'm sure MLB could set a pretty generous gauranteed salary for owners through the use of revenue sharing. Plus if you make it so that any money made by MLB over the top of that would go straight to a selection of charities, owners and players couldn't complain too loudly.

[Patrick425]

Are you willing to propose a maximum on owner's profits? Why should they make more than six figures?

Ok, had a long response to this that I deleted because it was way too off topic.

 

So, to try to stay on topic. One of my changes would be that the Owners run baseball and make the rules and that the players get on there knees every night and thank their lucky stars that they get paid to play a kid's game. - Can o' worms...open. (but probably should be another thread)

[brewcrew00]

I wouldn't mind seeing teams be able to trade draft picks. I think it would make for some interesting deadline/winter meeting deals.

[Gobias Industries]

I forgot to add that home plate umpires should be required to check with 3B or 1B on all check swings.

This.

 

I've seen this happen a lot lately, and a lot of the time the home plate umpire is wrong. There should at least be a penalty for the ump, like a one game suspension w no pay.

 

I agree with most of everyone's suggestions so far, but I think the biggest problem sans MLB Draft are the umpires.

[eanelson4]

2) Pay guys based on current worth (balance), don't hold back the pre-arby guys like Hart & Fielder and overpay guys like Counsel & Mota

4) Replay for fair/foul homeruns, with the review coming from the booth like Big Ten football

5) Stadium design requirements that reduce the freak rulings - get rid of flag poles in centerfield, fences that zig-zag up & down in height, seats that let fans reach into fair play, offsets that cause balls to ricochet off at bizarre angles, and more than a foot of foul territory down the outfield lines (injury prevention).

I think #2 is an awful idea. This is the only thing that allows small market clubs like the Brewers to succeed. There is no way we could afford to pay market value for JJ, Rickie, Prince, Hart, Yovanni, Manny and Villanueva. I like the arbitration system as I feel it makes players go year to year and really earn there keep (at least in those first 6 years).

 

I like your idea on number 4. This would be a quick check of the video and not delay the game for more than a minute or 2.

 

I also agree with number 5. I can't stand the little platforms behind the wall like in center field at MP. I don't see a point to them (other than to be a flower bed) and they make thsoe calls all the more difficult.

[Diskono]

Diskono wrote:

I'm not sure about this. Matsuzaka had a contract with another professional club, they should not be expected to just give him up for nothing the second a Major League club came knocking. If some team in Japan demands a huge transfer fee for one of their players, they have every right to do so.

He would have to get out of his current contract or wait until it expires then declare himself eligible for the MLB draft like every other player.

 

A transfer fee would be a way of getting out of his current contract, no? I don't think MLB should be allowed to dictate how Japanese clubs do business.

 

Anyhow, here are my changes:

 

1. Massive realignment - two leagues, no divisions. Regular season winners of each league play in the World Series. The playoffs are pointless, nothing more than manufactured drama IMO. 162 games is more than enough to determine which teams are the best. If you must have playoffs, have the next best teams in each league play some sort of mini-tournament for a slighly less prestigious trophy.

2. Get rid of interleague play.

3. Stop keeping track of wins, losses, and saves for pitchers.

 

That's all I can think of now...I'm happy with just about everything else. I don't like the DH personally, but I think that little rule differences between the AL and NL help keep things interesting.

[TSack27]

2) Pay guys based on current worth (balance), don't hold back the pre-arby guys like Hart & Fielder and overpay guys like Counsel & Mota

I think #2 is an awful idea. This is the only thing that allows small market clubs like the Brewers to succeed. There is no way we could afford to pay market value for JJ, Rickie, Prince, Hart, Yovanni, Manny and Villanueva. I like the arbitration system as I feel it makes players go year to year and really earn there keep (at least in those first 6 years).

If I originally had included the note that I don't agree with paying market value, would that change your interpretation of my suggestion?

 

Using real generic figures, my problem is spending "only" $6Million combined on the aforementioned JJ, Rickie, Prince, Hart, Yovanni, Manny and Villanueva; and the "market" dictating $10Million for Gagne alone. I'm not suggesting spending more, but distributing more appropriately based upon performance, not tenure. Even if he had regained his Cy Young form, is Gagne's worth to any team 15 times greater than Fielder's, cuz that's what their 2008 salaries would indicate?

 

[logan82]

Diskono wrote:

A transfer fee would be a way of getting out of his current contract, no? I don't think MLB should be allowed to dictate how Japanese clubs do business.

I don't think MLB should be able to dictate what Japan teams do either. I don't like transfer fees because it limits the number of teams that a player would be available to. The whole point would be to give every team an equal opportunity at every player.

[Nottso]

1. No DH.
2. No artificial turf.
3. ALL stadiums to have retractable roofs.
4. Playing fields to be a regulation size and shape.
5. Worldwide draft.

[Crewin06]

1.) More playoff disparity for division winners in the Playoffs.

 

A team that wins 100 games in the regular season gets 1 more game at home per series than a Wild Card team? If Baseball wants the division to mean something Let the Top 2 teams host 4 of the 5 games in the first round and 5 of the 7 games in the second round. Something needs to be done to create a bigger advantage for winning 105 games compared to 85 games.

 

2.) More Revenue Sharing.

 

The top revenue teams have a huge advantage over the smaller revenue teams. If they even this out Baseball would be much better off. Once the Milwaukees, Pittsburghs, and Kansas Citys of the world know they can compete they will create more interest in their own home towns which will in turn create more revenue for the entire major league baseball. Some of these cities are so beaten down that there is no way out except a very, very long-term approach that has no room for errors.

 

O.K. So I only have two. I would really love to see these changes implemented, although I know there is no way either is going to happen.