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Sunday, February 23, 2025

Rule Changes’ Effects on MLB, Surprising Payroll Trends, and Predicting Ohtani’s Contract

  • Four of the six highest-paid teams in MLB are not in position to make the playoffs at the midway mark.
  • Owen and Eric predict Shohei Ohtani’s presumably record-breaking contract after another otherworldly season.
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

With the MLB All-Star Game behind us, we are officially at the midway point of the baseball season. Senior writer Owen Poindexter and newsletter co-author Eric Fisher take a look at how the new rule changes have affected the game, an unexpected connection between teams’ payrolls and success, and what Shohei Ohtani’s next contract could look like.

Next, we are joined by USMNT and Fulham F.C. defender Tim Ream, who has a lot to say about his time on and off the pitch — including equal pay for men and women athletes, a possible promotion/relegation system in the U.S., and his upcoming show with Men in Blazers.

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