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The problems and possibilities of MLB expansion into Japan

By Nathaniel Sunshine

Japan's Shohei Ohtani pitches during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-final game between Japan and Italy at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 16, 2023. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP) (Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Japan's Shohei Ohtani pitches during the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-final game between Japan and Italy at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 16, 2023. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP) (Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images) /
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TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 10: Japanese fans cheer in the third inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 10: Japanese fans cheer in the third inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Korea and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images) /

Changes that would need to happen for any MLB team in Japan

Business

Just because Japan is primed for MLB investment does not mean that it will be a smooth transition into Japan. First, the way that NPB named their teams will either have to go or be implemented into the MLB and I, for one, do not look forward to watching the Houston Waste Management Astros in the 2036 playoffs. Corporations owning the teams is what it is. They may refuse to change the names of the teams despite potential financial windfall. After all, for some companies, the whole point is advertising. If that happens, MLB might benefit from courting local investors to try to buy the teams. Perhaps team names could be grandfathered in as-is to avoid hurting any cultural ties the corporate names have. The understanding would have to be that if the team was ever sold, though, the corporate name would be removed.

If the two were to merge, it would see the business side of NPB change drastically. Being brought into MLB would provide less freedom to certain NPB teams. I believe that some executive structure would be required in Japan, with the NPB commissioner being a co-chair or vice-commissioner for the MLB Commissioner. That way, NPB still can have a say in how baseball is run in the country.

Rules and Regulations

Beyond the business side, a few of the stadiums that teams currently play in would not be legal for MLB play due to short porches. However, these may get grandfathered into the league in the short term to allow play to begin smoothly with slight renovations (like the Colorado Rockies “Bridich Barrier”) to make the porches long enough for regulation.

Roster composition would also have to change, currently, NPB has roster limits on the number of foreign players that can be on a team. With the MLB, I do not believe that the roster rule would be allowed to stick around.

Another difference would be baseballs and rules, currently, NPB uses smaller balls than MLB. No matter what, this is something that would be standardized once any kind of merger took place. Rosters would also likely be standardized. Whether other rules like the universal DH apply would entirely depend on how MLB chooses to implement Japan into its structure.

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