Four Modifications to MLB That Could Remain a Part of Baseball After the 2020 Season

SI's Tom Verducci shares a few changes to the game baseball fans might have to get used to

Tom Verducci | May 20, 2020

SI senior writer Tom Verducci shares four changes the MLB could be instituting for the abbreviated 2020 season. The universal DH, which has been a part of offseason discussion for years now will be used for the 2020 season, but going back to the way things were in the National League after this coming season, "will be like putting toothpaste back into the tube," as Verducci says.

Video Transcript:

If there is a Major League Baseball season this year, it's bound to include many modifications and those modifications may become permanent. Here are four modifications for 2020 that may stick around beyond this year. Number one, the universal DH. This falls under the category of trying to get the toothpaste back into the tube. The National League for years has resisted the DH, but they'll use it this year. And once they do, they'll likely adopt it going forward.

Number two, a pine tar rag for pitchers on the mound. Because of sanitary reasons pitchers will not be allowed to go to their mouth on the mound, but they will be allowed to use a little bit of pine tar. A little dab will do you.

Expanded playoffs - this year, you'll see 14 of the 30 teams qualify for the postseason. The number one seed in each league gets a bye and the wild card game becomes a three game wild card series. What's not to like? Baseball gets a greater inventory of postseason games and players get a greater opportunity to participate in the postseason.

And number four, the schedule. This year, of course, has been modified to really reduce travel. Players staying within their division and the like division of the other league. That may not be exactly the formula going forward, but reducing travel, and creating more rivalries will definitely be on the table going forward. When you watch baseball in 2020, and hopefully we do, we also may be looking at the future of baseball.

Published May 20, 2020

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.