So the league proposed a drastic change in the playoff format to the players union, and so far, it’s not terribly popular among fans, players, or league personnel.
The new proposal includes expanding the postseason to 14 teams, seven per league. Each league would get two more Wild Cards in addition to the two existing Wild Cards. That Wild Card round would then be a best of three series, with the higher seed hosting all three games in consecutive days. The top seed in each league would get a bye into the Division Series.
There would be an interesting twist though to that Wild Card round. After the conclusion of the regular season, the remaining two division winners would be allowed to choose who they play in the first round, with the top Wild Card receiving the unpicked team.
This is all a lot to process, so let’s break it down. We’ll discuss what’s good about the proposal and what some of the pitfalls might be as we move toward a seemingly inevitable lockout.
The Good
Personally, I like the idea of expanded playoffs. 14 teams is still less than half the league, so it’s better than having 16 teams make it, which only really works for a shortened season such as 2020.
This gives some underdog teams a chance to make unlikely runs at a World Series title. We could see a team that hung around .500 for much of the year just go off in the postseason and make some history.
Plus, more teams fighting it out for a spot in the playoffs will only make things more interesting, and it gives the league an opportunity to create some more revenue.
The Bad
In some ways, 14 teams feels like too many. It may still be less than half, but not by much.
The players union fears that this will create less of an incentive for teams to go out and upgrade their rosters during offseasons and at trade deadlines. That, I assume, could go one way or the other. Maybe it means more teams will be going for it, or not. But it sort of ties into the “tanking” issue we’ve been hearing about, with some teams preferring to build from within as opposed to going out and signing or trading for players.
Perhaps this makes it too easy to get to the playoffs. Maybe it’s hard to call teams that sneak in barely above .500, or potentially even below, legitimate playoff contenders. Maybe it gives the higher seeds too much of an advantage.
The Ugly
Letting teams choose their opponents is a terrible idea. That’s not how it works in any other professional sport, so why would they even think about doing it? That’s honestly stupid. You get who you get.
The Solution
Again, I must stress that I think expanding the playoffs would be a great idea. But it looks as though the owners and players won’t be able to agree on the 14-team format.
So how about a 12 team format?
Add just one more team per league into the postseason mix. That gives you six teams per league. Make the Wild Card round best of three and have the top two seeds receive byes into the Division Series.
Nix the idea of choosing your opponents, and have the top two Wild Cards play each other, while the third Wild Card plays the third division winner. Add the universal DH, and we’re in business.
Please, Rob Manfred. Hear our pleas!
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