Rule changes are seldom the main focus of MLB rumors but there is word floating around that Major League Baseball could adopt a rule change for next September.
Major League Baseball looks like it will be limiting the number of players any team can make available for a game after September call-ups to only 30 players. Teams can still expand their rosters to 40 players but they will be limited on a daily basis to a set 30-man roster.
This is unfortunate. Every team is allowed to expand their roster to 40 players. Some teams do, others don’t. There is no favoritism either way. However, by limiting the rosters to only 30 men per game Major League Baseball is handcuffing teams that have deep rosters and protecting teams that either don’t have deep rosters or have poor depth.
This latest rule change makes no sense. Why all of a sudden change something that has worked for years and years? There is a reason teams call up players on September 1st, to either give young kids a shot or to see what some minor league veterans might offer, or to rest some starters for a playoff stretch. It has worked that way for many years and now Baseball wants to change it.
Sometimes Major League Baseball should leave well enough alone and just things be. There is no reason to suddenly force managers to decide on which five players out of the fifteen new faces he thinks can play. He has not seen these new faces and has no idea what they can offer. That is one of the purposes of the roster expansion, for managers to get a look at these players in game situations to get an idea if they will be of help for next season, or for the playoffs.
Handcuffing managers is just stupid and pointless. If one team has a 12-man bullpen and they want to match up lefty-to-lefty then go right ahead. Teams should be rewarded for having deep rosters, not penalized. Fans also shouldn’t be deprived of seeing a hot new prospect. Sometimes that is the only hope fans of certain teams have at this time next year. Restricting the managers in September is just going to be boring and a headache that isn’t needed.
It is possible that if this rule is implemented it could take effect as early as next year.
