According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, MLB instructed clubs in a memo last week "to proceed under the assumption" that the designated hitter will not be used in the National League next year.
This nugget was revealed as part of Rosenthal's notes column on Monday. It came within the greater context of a question of roster size and how it might be impacted by the Rule 5 Draft. MLB implemented the DH in the NL this year due to COVID-19, an effort aimed at reducing the workload on starting pitchers. The uncertainty over the situation has cast a large shadow over the early part of the offseason, as a number of free agents could see their markets slashed in half. Nelson Cruz stands out the most, but Marcell Ozuna could also factor in here. Similarly, a team like the Mets could alter their offseason plans with both Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith in-house. There's always the chance something is negotiated which keeps the DH in the NL -- the players certainly wouldn't mind that -- but the owners would have to get something in return, with expanded playoffs one obvious possibility.
f***ing Manfred can't get anything right.