• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Make Baseball Better

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Give Portland Oregon a baseball franchise in the AL so I don’t have to drive to Seattle to see my Indians. I’m a little selfish but that Tacoma-Seattle traffic sucks!!
 
Give Portland Oregon a baseball franchise in the AL so I don’t have to drive to Seattle to see my Indians. I’m a little selfish but that Tacoma-Seattle traffic sucks!!

You can have one of the Florida teams.
 
and also add in the ability to essentially cut a single contract, but the player still gets paid, but it’s setup like a buy out and the player ends up maybe with a Bobby Bonilla clause in a sense.
completely missing the actual problem
 
completely missing the actual problem

And you completely missed the point of why I am doing that since it’s designed to help transition teams to the max cap situation and the amnestied player still gets his money but doesn’t count against the max cap of the team. This in return allows for the team to allocate the cap space more appropriately
 
It's the offseason (for Tribe fans anyhow) and we won't get hot stove news until the World Series is completed. I thought it'd be fun to discuss how you, if you were commissioner, make baseball better. Here's a few of mine:

1. Universal DH

It ends issues like the Indians faced in their final series (losing a DH in crucial games), it improves interleague, for the same reason, it gives more hitters a starting gig, and allows NL players longer longevity.

2. Expansion, Relocation, and Realignment

The Tampa Bay Rays move to Montreal and become the Expos while Portland and Charlotte get expansion teams. We move to eight, four-team divisions.

AL East - Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
AL Central - Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL South - Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
AL West - Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, Seattle

NL East - Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
NL Central - Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL South - Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Washington,
NL West - Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

Wild Cards are no more, with each division winner reaching the Playoffs. ALDS moves to a 7 game series along with the ALCS and World Series.

3. Minimize the shift

I'd allow the shift to be somewhat maintained, but infielders have to stay in the infield, outfielders in the outfield. I think it can be a part of strategy without getting extreme.

4. Franchise Tagging

You're never going to have a salary cap, so let's use the NFL-style franchise tag. Teams can only use the franchise tag once every off-season, and it only guarantees a player's salary for the following year. A player can be tagged up to three times by their team.

1. Yes

2. Yes...assuming data shows those cities can/will support those franchises

3. No. It's up to hitters to not be so predictable.

4. I'd modify the franchise tag to make it more player friendly. The franchise tag should come with a player option that can be exercised by the player in the offseason.. The length of the option is up to (player's choice) the remaining number of years, plus one, for which that player could be tagged.

The effect of this is to put some risk on the team for extending the tag. If a team tags a guy who subsequently has a significant injury and/or whose production falls off a cliff, the player can force the team to keep them at that contract - plus whatever escalators are built into the franchise process. In most cases, that won't happen. But it does prevent the team from using the franchise process just to put all the risk on the players' side.

So, let's say a team decides to tag a great pitcher, who subsequently blows his arm out during the season, and they'd normally decide not to tag him for the next year. However, there are two more years for which the team could have tagged him, so the player has the option to extend for those two years, plus one. The team is now on the hook for the escalating franchise salary for the next three years.
 
Last edited:
Curious to hear thoughts on the rumored playoff changes?
 
I do think they should change the 1 game Wild Card to a 3 game series.
 
I will have to dig it up but I know Francona had an idea about what he would do if he had to tweak the playoffs.

The season is shortened about 8 games and playoffs started a week early. No more Nov. baseball. Also allowed a few more off days in the year.
The wild card game becomes a best of 3 series with all games at the better seed's home.
Games 1 and 2 are a double header, game 3, if necessary, is the next day. Winning wild card team gets one day to travel for next series. Series allows more chance for best team to win instead of team with best pitcher. Series also helps the the top overall seed because winning WC team has to use at least 2 of their starters before moving on to the divisional.

Again, not 100% sure if this is what he said but will update when I track it down.
 
Build retractable roofs up north via recreational drugs tax and start in the beginning of February after the Super Bowl. Have an 8 team playoff start in August before football starts
 
Last edited:

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top