Universal DH for Both AL and NL Expected to be Easily Approved by the Players

Money appears to still be the biggest sticking point for owners and players to get a 2020 MLB season off the ground, but one rule that appears to be one that will pass with ease is that of the "universal DH"

While it looks more and more like at the end of the day that the almighty dollar is going to be the biggest sticking point in if baseball returns in 2020 or not, there is some good news and a proposal that both sides seem to agree on.

That proposal is that all teams in the shortened 2020 season will adopt a designated hitter, or DH as it is commonly known as.

MLB Insider Jon Heyman tweeted on Wednesday that the “universal DH” for 2020 is expected to be “easily” approved by players, and a rule that some have wanted in place for a long time.

Of course this is a rule that American League teams have played by for some time, so for them it’s not a change at all.

On the other side for National League teams, they will have to scramble for those that don’t have a deep bench of hitters, and come up with a player who on a daily basis will just be called on to take swings.

As Heyman points out, teams like the Dodgers, Nationals and Brewers will benefit from having the DH rule with players they could easily plug in, but for some it might mean going out in the remaining free agent market and seeing if there’s a player out there that could come in on the cheap and take 4-5 hacks per night.

Maybe the biggest question is if the “universal DH” will go past the 2020 season, and what if there is no 2020 season? Will it just go away or will owners continue to try and push it to the MLBPA?

The “universal DH” has been spoken about for some time, and if there is a 2020 season and this goes well for National League teams, do not be stunned to see it become a full-time rule change starting in 2021 and beyond.