"here is the reality: Nearly every pitcher already uses some sort of substance to get a better grip on the ball"

Yahoo:

As for the other hundreds of pitchers who have used them and continue to more surreptitiously: They’ve skated free. For years, they have said the extra grip gives them better control and helps keep the game safer. And because players estimate 70 to 90 percent use a substance, the sense is that it doesn’t benefit any one team individually, so what’s the harm?

...

Hell, the idea of a ball with superior grip is so appealing to the league it tried to create one itself.

MLB has worked with Rawlings, its manufacturer, to produce a ball with a feel tacky enough for pitchers to forgo foreign substances. Maybe it will work.