The New CBA — Universal DH
The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (PA) expires on December 1st. The new CBA will be a hot topic this offseason. Negotiations could delay the 2022 season and potentially cause a lockout or strike. In this series, we will look at a number of changes you might see in the next CBA.
The universal DH is a constant debate in baseball circles. With the increase in interleague play, it seems strange to have two different sets of rules. Right now, the question is should the National League (NL) adopt the DH. Nobody really asks if the American League (AL) should get rid of the DH.
If you go back to 2019, our last normal year of baseball. We had 68 million fans head out to the park and watch a bunch of grown men play a kids game. Of those fans, 55.3% went to NL ballparks. Just 44.7% went to AL ballparks.
Why would NL parks outdraw the AL by over 7 million fans, a 10+% gap?
NL parks do have a slight capacity advantage by about 2%. The remaining 8% is still a very meaningful difference.
Is it age of franchise? Market size? Success? Those factors seem to marginally hold true in the Big Apple and LA, but the attendance disparity between the Cubs and White Sox seems inexplicable by those factors. The AL has absolutely destroyed the NL in All-Star games, so it doesn’t seem to be a talent factor.
The obvious reason is the designated hitter. NL baseball is more engaging. AL baseball is comparatively sterile. It is boring. There is minimal in-game strategy. There are historically fewer hit and runs, fewer steals, fewer bunts.
There are pros for the DH of course. David Ortiz was fun to watch. The DH adds more offense. It is often a spot for aging or unathletic hitters to land. But wouldn’t we rather see a younger, faster game with a more diverse array of outcomes? The reality is the starting pitcher only hits around 2 times and then they are replaced by a pinch hitter. Pinch hitters become heroes. Strategy takes over.
The players union might think that these aging DHs earn big free agent contracts. That may have been true in the past, but true DHs rarely get paid with lucrative long-term deals anymore. Major League teams value defense and roster flexibility much more now. Overall, if the DH is bringing less fans into the park, it is costing MLB teams and the Players Association money. We should change the question we’re asking and consider removing the DH.
