What is Rob Manfred’s ‘golden at-bat’ idea, and how would it change baseball?

Rule changes have been a hallmark of Rob Manfred’s tenure as MLB commissioner.

His latest idea is being met with skepticism by many as a bridge too far.

This idea is the “golden at-bat.” Manfred floated it during “The Varsity” podcast with John Ourand in October. His comment was made in passing and tucked away in a 37-minute podcast that didn’t gain much traction as baseball’s postseason was reaching its zenith.

But The Athletic’s Jayson Stark listened and wrote about it on Monday, breathing new life into Manfred’s comment suggesting a dramatic change to the way baseball is played. Manfred mentioned the idea during a conversation about the rule changes that have been implemented under his watch and what might be coming down the pipeline next.

Manfred first discussed the progress of the automated strike zone — more on that later. But it was this comment that’s generating buzz, in and out of owners’ meetings:

The idea is simple. Once a game, a manager gets to put his best batter at the plate regardless of where the batting order stands. So imagine, as a pitcher facing the Dodgers, you get Shohei Ohtani out in a high-leverage situation. Then Dave Roberts plays his golden at-bat card, and you have to face the best hitter in baseball all over again.

Or, say, you’re facing the Yankees and load the bases against the Nos. 5, 6, and 7 hitters. But then manager Aaron Boone goes for the golden at-bat, and it’s Juan Soto who is coming up next. These are just a couple of theoretical examples, but the idea is clear. And it would mark a change in baseball unlike any other that has been made under Manfred’s watch.

We’re not at the stage of knowing how exactly the rule would be written or implemented. As Manfred said, it’s “in the conversation-only stage.”

How does the golden at-bat stack up to previous rule changes?

Baseball has undergone significant changes in recent years, to mixed reviews — most notably the pitch clock, limited pickoff attempts to first base, bigger bases and free runners on second base starting in the 10th inning.

The larger goal of those changes — speeding up the pace of the game — has been an unquestioned success. Whether shortening the game is worth those fundamental changes depends on how traditional your view of baseball is.

The golden at-bat is a whole different conversation with the potential to turn off even the more progressive baseball fans among us. Veteran baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal voiced that concern while speaking about the golden at-bat Tuesday on “Foul Territory.”

Stark, meanwhile, spoke with several players, including Christian Yelich, Carlos Correa and Freddie Freeman, about the golden at-bat idea. In short, they generally thought it was a fun idea for an All-Star Game but expressed reservations about implementing it during games that count.

What about the automated strike zone?

As far as the automated strike zone, Manfred said that two versions are under consideration. The first consists of a home plate umpire who wears an earpiece and “just calls what the system tells them to call.”

The second would consist of a challenge system in which the umpire hears the automated ball/strike call only when a team issues a challenge to his call. This version is antithetical to the goal of previous rule changes of speeding up the game. But it’s something baseball will see at the MLB level in next year’s spring training, according to Manfred.

After that, “the following year will be a decision point — go or no go,” he said.

As for whatever further changes MLB decides to implement, Manfred is ready for the blowback.

“No matter how good a change turns out to be over the long haul, the first month is gonna be hell on wheels,” Manfred said. “Because the traditionalists are gonna be out after your head. You’ve just got to get ready for that storm and weather it.”