Love it or hate it, the designated hitter is a part of major league baseball. Personally, I follow the NL, and subscribe to the notion that the game is fundamentally better without the DH. I love the strategy of having to plan for the pitcher's spot in the order, and prefer every player to participate in both parts of the game.
But I also would like all MLB teams to play under the same rules, and am enough of a realist to know that the player's union would require massive concessions on other issues to be willing to lose 15 high-paying spots for extending a veteran's career. So, if changes happen, it's a near-certainty it will mean the NL adopts the DH.
Is there a way to keep the strategy of the NL, and also have the DH? This is my proposal to do so..
From the MLB rulebook..
A hitter may be designated to bat for the starting pitcher and all subsequent pitchers in any game without otherwise affecting the status of the pitcher(s) in the game.
On the positive side, the DH rule allows for increased offense, which draws fan attention. It allows aging stars to remain in the game for a few additional years. It replaces the generally-pitiful at bats of the average pitcher with the powerful swings of the slugger, long a baseball archetype.
In general, the DH only leaves the game due to injury. He can be placed anywhere in a batting order, guaranteed at-bats, with no connection to anything occurring defensively. It is this disconnect that needs to be remedied if we want to add any sort of strategy back into the DH rule.
In the N.L., managers evaluate the cost/benefit of letting someone hit for the pitcher throughout the game. A solid pitching performance can sometimes be ended early due to a perceived need to score in a particular situation. A bad performance can sometimes be tolerated a bit too long just to finish an inning and avoid wasting a relief appearance for a partial inning. This sort of logic doesn't apply in the A.L... pitchers are removed solely on their value as a pitcher.
My Proposal:
Change the rule thusly:
A hitter may be designated to bat for the starting pitcher and all subsequent pitchers in any game, and may remain in the game as long as that pitcher has not been replaced in the lineup.
Want to pull your starter? Fine, but you lose your DH for the rest of the game, and have to use a new one off the bench.
Want to leave a pitcher in the game to finish the inning so your DH gets one more at-bat? That's good, but there's a risk you fall further behind if he can't get out of a jam.
Need to use a lot of pitchers? You're also going through your bench each time the spot comes up.
The player's union worried about jobs? This rule needs more bench players, without getting rid of the utility of the DH in most situations (starter goes 6+ innings).