Welcome back to the Radical Ideas Series, in which we "fix" baseball not merely by limiting mound visits or even instituting pitch clocks but by revolutionizing the game's competitive structure with way-out-there -- yet at least vaguely plausible -- changes.
Our goal isn't (necessarily) for these ideas to land on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's desk. Instead, they're intended to stir conversation about the state of the sport -- and what would happen if ...
Here's a non-rhetorical question for you: What's the purpose of paying baseball players?
The answer seems obvious -- so they'll play baseball -- but Major League Baseball is a weird institution, burdening itself not just with the mandates of a business but also with the balancing act of an entertaining competition.