How MLB is Changing the Rules for a More Exciting Product

The ~179th Opening Day of MLB is HERE and so are new rule changes and optimism. Cincinnati Reds fans often claim Opening Day as their 2nd Christmas. Cardinals HOF SS, Ozzie Smith, once petitioned for Opening Day to be a federal holiday. From the Bleacher Creature Snake Builders on the North Side of Chicago, to the Fenway Faithful in Boston, to the late arrivals in Los Angeles, to the Jon Hamms in St. Louis (well, maybe not St. Louis) teams have high hopes for a successful season.

In 2023, MLB, often afraid of risk and upsetting historians couldn’t avoid doing nothing about declining viewership and a poor fan experience, was forced to pivot to make bold rule changes. By adding a pitch clock, game times went from 3 hours and 2 mins in 2014 to 2 hours 37 mins in 2024 (a 25-minute difference). To mitigate injuries and increase the speed of the game, the size of the bases expanded from 15 inches to 18 inches. Defensive shifts were also banned – meaning each team was required to have two infielders on each side of 2nd base. The result? Steals went up and more players were in motion, creating a more exciting game. For the 2025 season, two new rules are in place: (1) a harsher penalty for an illegal defensive shift (going from a ball or to accept the play) to now accepting the play or a runner advancing a base. (2) Is a little more intricate and once it happens, it will confuse common fans and color commentators. It involves multiple runners on base and running through the bag so that another runner can advance.