A lot of the hold up in free agency this offseason has been because of the unknown about the DH in 2021. The Atlanta Braves now have more clarity there.
The Atlanta Braves, and my other teams who have shown interest in free agent Marcell Ozuna, likely don’t feel comfortable giving up a big contract without knowing for sure there will be a DH this season and beyond.
We now have some fairly concrete confirmation that there won’t be a DH in the National League this upcoming season after the MLB Players Association rejected a proposal from the league for rule changes in 2021.
The deal from MLB basically asked for the start of the 2021 season to be pushed back a month with the playoffs spilling into December. With that, teams have to deal with much more off days and would have very little wiggle room for any make-ups.
It also included a universal DH and expanded playoffs, which the league desperately wants.
A release from the MLBPA was sent out on Monday saying the players have officially rejected the proposal and are preparing for the season to start on time under the rules of the current CBA.
The Major League Baseball Players Association today released the following statement on Players’ commitment to begin the 2021 season on time: pic.twitter.com/WCYtaeVqmH
— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) February 2, 2021
With that being the case, the rules go back to exactly what they were in 2019 with no universal DH and no expanded postseason.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be a DH in 2022 after the upcoming CBA negotiations this December — many believe there will be a universal DH in 2022 and beyond.
But now teams at least do have some certainty about how to prepare for the upcoming season and what the rules will be — finally.
That means National League teams who were considering players like Ozuna and Nelson Cruz may not be as interested anymore.
I still don’t think it should stop the Braves from signing Ozuna if they feel he’s the best fit for them.
Yes, he’s quite terrible in left field and I’ve let my feelings be known on why I wouldn’t re-sign him. But at the end of the day, the Braves need a big bat in the lineup more than they need a Gold Glove left fielder.
The options for the Braves are getting thin, and if Ozuna is the best they can get right now, then they should grab him regardless if there’s a DH or not.