I’m not sure if players are more injury-prone or less. Even if careers were shorter, that could also be rooted in finances, as many players simply had to play longer 30 years ago.
I do agree increased salaries have reduced the roles of many players. Why have your $30mill SP pitch that 7th inning with a big lead? Cora’s scheduled off days for hitters fit this logic, too. After all, at some point there’se are no longer players but are investments.
Still the notion that the league is watered down because some team 50 years ago was good or because you believe the unprovable notion that two pitchers back then would still be i hittable is preposterous. I suppose if Verlander or Gerrit Cole faced the Big Red Machine, the assumption is they’d treat them like batting practice?