Spring Training has come to a close and we are days away from the first game of the Major League Baseball season. The 162-game grind gets going with some interesting storylines across the league. As Astros fans in Houston, we may not want to pay much attention to anyone else, but some should be fun with or without a rooting interest.
ABS System Engage
For many baseball fans, the implementation of the Automated Balls and Strikes system is long overdue. The power of umpires to decide games on huge plays was mitigated with instant replay and now the same should happen with ABS. Because the league has been using this system in the minors for several years now and the speed of play has increased with the pitch clock, the addition of ABS should be seamless. The only question will be how effectively it is used.
Most managers won’t want pitchers making the call. They don’t always have the best vantage point or temperament to be a good judge. As a result, catchers will likely do most of the heavy lifting. This is especially true given how quickly the call for a replay has to be made. The most complicated position on the field just became more difficult.
Injury Issues
A continuing problem for Major League Baseball is the growing concerns over injuries, particularly to pitchers, that have plagued teams, especially over the last decade. Teams like the Astros have been decimated by pitcher injuries in recent years in what feels like an epidemic. While the league has acknowledged there have been problems, what they can do to address them is still unclear.
There are complex symptoms leading to what we have seen at the major league level not the least of which has been the max effort and max spin rate efforts by pitchers. But, to get to the root of the problem, baseball will need to start working with coaches at a youth level where teenagers and younger are pushing themselves before their bodies have fully developed. If the league has another year with loads of injured arms, those calls for change will only grow stronger.
Dodger Dynasty
Does anyone outside of Los Angeles really want to talk about baseball’s most expensive roster? Probably not, but it must be addressed because the Dodgers, even in 2025 when they were in the top three in injuries to key players, won a World Series. Since then, all they’ve done is add former Astro Kyle Tucker and Mets closer Edwin Diaz. They also shored up their ranks by retaining Max Muncy and Enrique Hernández.
Essentially, they have lost very little and gained a LOT. Their starting rotation is eight pitchers deep and their lineup includes Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith. Yikes.
A Lockout Looms
For all you baseball pessimists out there, you may want to prepare yourself for what could be a very long, cold winter in 2027. The next collective bargaining agreement is set to be negotiated and owners have already said they are hellbent on a instituting a salary cap, while the players’ union is dead set against it. The stalemate could cause the first missed games since the 1994-95 offseason.
Like most CBA negotiations, there is a lot to be considered, but the simple fact is team salaries are radically imbalanced. Last year, the Dodgers nearly eclipsed $400 million in payroll while the Miami Marlins spent less than a quarter of that at $77 million. That disparity leaves many teams waiting year and year with little ability to control the boom in payroll while forcing other clubs to pony up more than the bare minimum. Enjoy the season because the offseason could be a long one.