Speaking of rule changes, a few are going to happen for next year.
One, rosters size will change from 25 to 26. The players union loves that idea because it just created 30 more jobs, 30 more members.
September call-ups are changing from a 40-man roster size to 28. That should help avoid the endless relief pitching changes at the end of the year when teams had so many extra bullpen arms. The idea of having a 40-man roster was silly anyway. Finally, they will bring some common sense.
There will be a maximum of thirteen pitchers during most of the season, fourteen in September.
And chances are pretty good that the National League will adopt the Designated Hitter. If you think about how the game is played now, where starting pitchers go only five innings, that means the pitcher might bat once, maybe twice in those five innings. After that, it’s a pinch hitter every time that spot comes up in the lineup. So all the worry about losing the strategy of the pitcher batting is pretty much gone anyway. They aren’t in the game long enough to make a difference one way or the other at the plate. All the strategy purists will miss is pretty much gone anyway. Might as well have one pinch hitter for the pitcher instead of three.
The union is expected to vote down the idea of a three-batter minimum per pitcher, which is something Rob Manfred wanted in an effort to cut down on pitching changes.