In this instalment, I will be discussing four things that can be done in the league to improve fan interest and the quality of play. It has been made clear over the last few years that the popularity of baseball is not as high as it once was and there is a significant gap between the other big sports (basketball, football, and hockey).
If I were the commissioner of Major League Baseball, these are four changes that I would make to help improve the sport. The players association and owners would have to agree to these changes… but for this post lets say anything is possible and would be accepted.
Minimum Spending Limit for Payroll
One of the biggest concerns that has been viewed over the last few years is the dragged out process of free agency. More and more free agents are being signed in January and even in early February. In my opinion, the sport loses momentum because of the delay in free agent signings.
The World Series generally finishes around October 30 and then the next big date is the baseball Winter Meetings, which happens generally the first week of December. However, the teams and agents are mostly trying to gauge the interest levels of the two parties and nothing really happens that quickly. Once the players actually sign it is generally 3 months after the championship trophy is handed out. Which other sport has this happened? In basketball and hockey, it takes about 3-4 weeks following the championship for free agents to start signing with new teams.
A way to speed up the process of free agents being signed is to have a minimum payroll-spending limit. This would do a couple of things for the league:
i. The quality of play will increase. Teams that generally have a low payroll can potentially offer some of the better free agents more money. If a team that normally spends around 50 million dollars a year on payroll now has to spend another 25 million (presuming the minimum limit is 75 million), they can offer multiple free agents contracts or they can offer a big contract to one player. Either way, the team’s overall quality will improve.
ii. Fan bases stay engaged. Knowing that your team cannot be tanking or going into an extreme rebuild for years, should keep fans coming to the ballparks even when the team is not immediately competing for a championship. More people in the seats means the owners are happy.
The minimum payroll-spending limit can be optional for the teams. However, teams that don’t spend the minimum amount will result in a penalty. Perhaps the loss of the team’s highest draft pick would be a good enough incentive for teams to spend. Losing a pick should push lower seeded teams to spend and improve the quality of play in the league and should increase the speed in which free agents are signed.
Draft Lottery and Tradable Picks
When listening to analysts speak on other sports, it is always interesting to hear them discuss what might happen on draft night for a couple of days or weeks before the event. Baseball doesn’t have that. As a fan you acknowledge the draft but it doesn’t hold the same appeal compared to basketball. I know that baseball prospects don’t have immediate impact on the league as a basketball draft pick, but the picks still have an impact on organizations and perhaps a team getting a first overall pick changes the future of the organization later down the road.
So why not restructure the draft? Make the draft lottery two weeks after the World Series. The teams with the worst records have the best chances at winning the first three picks. Pretty standard. After the lottery, teams can trade picks all the way up to the draft.
I think it keeps the draft interesting throughout the year as analysts will be questioning if a team will trade its pick to get a specific player to help the roster in the present. It may even create more amateur scouting jobs as teams will need to ensure they are drafting the right players for their organizations.
Reconfiguring of All Star Week
A couple of things can go on here:
First create a skill segment. Give the fans a true opportunity to see how good the players really are, strictly from a skill standpoint. Show them their speed, their arm strength and fielding ability, and maybe their hitting ability (not power).
I am not sure how you best showcase all the skills effectively… but it would be awesome to see the fastest players in the game run around the bases and see how quickly they can do it. Or maybe see how well some players can hit the ball off a tee to certain locations on the field at a moment’s notice (kind of like a game of HORSE in basketball). You keep the homerun derby but maybe reduce the number of participants to 4 or 6.
Second, make the All Star Game count for something such as home field advantage in the World Series. No real explanation for this one, I just think it would be cool to return to this format.
Increase Number of Playoff Teams Permanently
I am not sure if this has been placed on the table for 2021 yet… but I believe this is something that should happen.
I would permanently increase the number of playoff teams to 16 teams (8 in both leagues). However, I would make the first two series 5 game sets. This would involve reducing the number of games in the season by probably about 10-12 (my best guess) but I think owners would be down for it because they could charge more money at the gate for the playoff series.
There would also be a contingency plan that if the 9thseed were within 1 game of the 8thseed, then there would be a wild card game – similar to the NBA bubble where Memphis and Portland had their play in game.
Having more teams in the playoffs will encourage teams to spend money on players in the offseason therefore creating a very competitive season. Baseball is perhaps one of the only sports where if a team gets rolling at the right time (in the playoffs), they have a strong chance at winning the championship – regardless of where they finished at the end of the regular season. Therefore, providing the opportunity for more teams to win would benefit the league as whole.
Thank you for reading another instalment of Major League Mondays. Check back next week.
