Former Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis proposes MLB rule changes

Former Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis shared his thoughts about potential MLB rule changes he would like to see happen.

How do we improve Major League Baseball? Former Boston Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis has some ideas.

He’s been out of the game since 2013 but that doesn’t necessarily prevent Youkilis from having an impact on it. There’s been a lot of debate lately about rule changes that may be discussed when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021. Youk took to Twitter to share his own ideas for MLB to consider.

Youkilis is a 10-year veteran, three-time All-Star, and two-time World Series Champion. He’s played on both sides of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. He’s more than qualified to have an educated opinion on these matters. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s right about all of his ideas but he’s clearly put some thought into these rule changes and a case can be made for why each should be implemented.

Perhaps MLB will put some of these topics on the agenda when it comes time to negotiate the next CBA. Let’s break down each of Youk’s ideas to determine how feasible they are.

Fewer Games

The major league schedule is a grueling 162 game marathon that tends to drag on too long late in the summer when many teams are out of the playoff race. It shouldn’t take that many games to determine which teams are worthy of advancing to the postseason.

Gone are the day when iron men like Cal Ripken Jr. took the field every day. Teams rest star players to keep them fresh for the stretch run. It’s smart management from the team’s perspective but fans who paid their hard-earned money to see Mookie Betts may be disappointed if Alex Cora decides to sit the reigning MVP for rest purposes that day.

Baseball has always been a game obsessed with numbers. Those lofty home run, RBI, and win totals will be harder to rack up in fewer games, which may result in some push-back on a reduced schedule. It shouldn’t. MLB implemented the 162 game schedule in 1961, giving today’s players a perceived advantage over those who played in an era with the old 154 game schedule. If you’re worried about the integrity of baseball’s sacred record books, rule changes have already tarnished them.

Returning to a 154 game schedule wouldn’t make much of a difference to player stats. Only 37 major league players appeared in more than 154 games last year and a mere seven went the distance for a full 162.

The biggest difference would be to their wallets. Players still get paid even when they sit out for rest or injury. Reducing the schedule would mean a decrease in revenue from ticket sales and TV contracts, meaning there’s less profit to spread around. Fewer games would be better for baseball but it’s hard to see both sides getting behind an idea that would cost them money.

Balanced Schedule

The premise is made with good intentions but it’s easier said than done. The playing field would be even if everyone played the same schedule. Why should the small-market Rays have to play the Red Sox and Yankees more often than the Royals do? Meanwhile, the AL East behemoths beat up on each other for the division crown while the Indians cruise to the top of a Central division devoid of any other winning teams.

The problem is that every team has 29 potential opponents and that number doesn’t divide evenly into a 162 game schedule. MLB can find creative ways to even the schedule by reducing the number of games against divisional opponents but finding perfect balance would be difficult.

The most feasible path to this balance would be reducing the schedule to 154 games and doing away with interleague play. Then every team would play the other 14 teams in their league 11 times.

Would that be fair? Sure, but you’re also limiting the number of games between rivals that tend to peak interest from casual fans. It also deprives fans of seeing their team face opponents from the other league, unless of course their team makes it to the World Series.

Only 7 game playoff series

Would anyone have complained if the Red Sox-Yankees ALDS were extended to a best-of-seven showdown last year? I think not. That doesn’t make this change a no-brainer though.

MLB has already moved the start of the regular season to late-March in order to build in more scheduled off days. Adding playoff games means the postseason could last into November. Start any earlier or end later and you risk more weather-related interruptions. We don’t need World Series games being postponed due to snow.

Moving to a 154 game regular season schedule mitigates those risks. Fewer overall games but with more postseason games that matter seems like a fair trade-off.

One drawback is that extending the ALDS takes away an advantage given to the top seeds. Under the current format, the higher seeds have the chance to push their opponent to the brink of elimination by winning the first two games of the best-of-five series on their home field. The odds of climbing out of an 0-2 hole increase dramatically in a seven game series.

This plan also doesn’t specify what to do about the Wild Card round. Is Youk implying that the Wild Card teams should play a best-of-seven series instead of the one-and-done format? Or is he saying there shouldn’t be Wild Card teams?

I wouldn’t be in favor of abandoning the Wild Card teams but Youk’s next suggestion could make it irrelevant.

Best overall records determine playoff seeding

This could be interpreted in two different ways.

One way would be to continue to ensure division winners make the postseason, along with the Wild Card winner. When the Division Series begins, matchups are determined by the best records, regardless of if they won the division. In that scenario, a Wild Card team with the second best record in the league would be the No. 2 seed rather than having to face the top team in the DS.

Another way to look at it would be to abolish divisions altogether. This works best if MLB implemented a more balanced schedule with fewer regular season games, as we’ve previously discussed.

In this scenario, the four best teams in their respective leagues would qualify for the postseason and be seeded based on their record. If the Red Sox and Yankees are the two best teams in the league, don’t make one settle for a one-game Wild Card simply because they reside in the same division. Let them be the top two seeds to improve the chances that the league’s best teams meet in the Championship Series.

Too often we see divisions that are essentially decided by the time we get to September. The Wild Card format helps give more teams incentive to fight down the stretch but really what they are fighting for is the chance to participate in a one-game playoff. Doing away with divisions and taking the top four teams in each league means more teams are battling for the fourth playoff spot and a trip to the Division Series.