Olney: Why some young players may increasingly jump at long-term offers

The smallest adjustment can make an enormous difference for a Major League Baseball player, which is part of the game’s allure.

Trevor Hoffman frantically searched for a solution in the spring of 1995 after hurting his shoulder diving on the beach at 26 years old, and when he tried a changeup grip showed to him by teammate Donnie Elliott, he discovered the off-speed pitch that will propel him into the Hall of Fame later this year.

Jamie Moyer was within a few months of his 33rd birthday when the Orioles cut him in 1995, just as he felt he had started to make progress in the art of working inside. Moyer was 49 years old when he finally threw his last pitch in the majors.

That uncertainty about…