An action-packed day in MLB, as Mookie Betts, David Price (and Joc Pederson) are officially Dodgers, Kenta Maeda is officially a member of the Twins, MLB is considering radical changes to the playoff structure, a former pitcher and trash can victim is suing the Astros, and the Diamondbacks lock up Nick Ahmed. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd makes sense of everything in our latest video:
This new video format is great, I really appreciate it
It’d be a good idea to change the playoff structure. As it stands with dominant teams in both leagues, it’s wiser to be a Wild Card team with momentum and face the Yanks or Dodgers in a five-game series–this is baseball and any team might win that–than a seven game series. Maybe this is why some rich teams aren’t trying so hard, using the Luxury Tax as an excuse.
I say keep the playoff format as is BUT increase the wildcard format to a 3 game series (at one stadium) instead of a one-game, dump and run. Decrease season to 160 games. The division winners all get needed rest and wildcard teams would fight to survive.
I don’t like video. If you have to have it please, let me read the story as well.
I agree. I never watch video here or at mlb.com.
I don’t know how to watch. I only read.
I think you just hit the “play” button.
I don’t watch videos either, please provide text
MLB is heading down a slippery slope of attempting to appease casual baseball viewers at the expense of true baseball fans. The NHL made this same mistake and is, in my opinion, now unwatchable. MLB’s new playoff format is pure gimmick – just say “no.”
^this
^that
I honestly feel like it’s a win win for both Boston and LA. LAD is WS favorite, and Boston reloads at a perfect time. I would take this package over the original Minny offer any day. FWIW, I really don’t mind the playoff restructuring but I’m sure some of the division rivalry will be lost
Diluting importance of the regular 162 game season. I understand trying to create a pennant atmosphere for more teams but at the expense of the top teams who have earned it. Playoffs can be quite random. You start adding lower quality teams who just happen to get hot down the stretch and you almost feel like you’re penalizing the teams that have been very good for the entire grueling season. Keep it as is and consider going 7 game series for all series.
Let’s hope this is just talk to get everyone away from talking cheating scandals.
All I have to say is, good luck with making the regular season meaningless. That worked out great for the NBA. (rolleyes)
Agreed, I used to love watching basketball and now the only time I watch it is when the playoffs start and sometimes I don’t even bother with the first round.
This playoff gimmick just ensures the Yankees, Red Saux and Dodgers make the playoffs no matter how bad they are. The Wild Card was added for the same reason. I want to see EVERY team have a chance, not just the money makers for the MLB. Sadly, those days are over. The bookies in Vegas will love this format.
and how does this system only benefit those teams?
It gives them yet more opportunities to reach the postseason. Even in a down year, these teams almost never finish worse than 3rd place in a division race, thanks to their overwhelming financial advantage. That means their probability of reaching the postseason via division championship or wildcard just increases with the new format. That is the only reason the MLB makes changes to the playoff system—it’s financial driven by the markets teams play in. You will still see them dame bottom dwellers. You will never see two small or mid-market teams in the World Series.
If they truly want to get more people watching baseball, they need to shorten the season, adopt a hard salary cap and salary floor. Then give teams the ability to offer incentives to keep their stud players instead of losing them to the same teams via free agency every year. It’s creates more competition and continuity for fans who follow teams in their own city versus watching your favorite players get pipelined to the Yankees and Dodgers (I hate this) year after year. That’s why people don’t care about baseball like they used to. Why invest time in a team that can’t re-sign anybody or ever significantly improve their roster? It puts pride back into your hometown team, watching them grow young prospects into champions. The MLB hates this scenario because as far as they’re concerned l, there are only three markets that matter: biggest revenues.
I had a good laugh realizing the Red Sox would have made the playoffs last year. My team or not, they were not a playoff caliber team in 2019.
This is the worst take ive seen in a while
Let me guess… Saux fan are you? Of course you think it’s nonsense. Try being a White Sox, Brewers or Pirates fan. Then my “take” might look more accurate. The media doesn’t want to cover a postseason without the Yankees, Red Sox, or Dodgers in it. They don’t care about competition and fair play, they just want the ad revenues. The postseason is a joke in baseball (and the NBA for that matter). The NFL seems to have finally moved on from the New England Patcheats, which is good for the sport. The MLB needs to emancipate itself from the high revenue teams and expand the sport beyond those markets.
You do realize expanding to 2 more teams helps the smaller market teams and hurts big market teams right?
agh forgot it, nvm, enjoy your day
Wrong. Smaller market teams still won’t get. You’re talking about teams who struggle to spend $80MM in a good year trying to compete with quarter billion dollar budget clubs. It’s ludicrous. They’re lucky to field a competitive roster once every 10-20 years before the big market teams come calling to take all the stud players away.
4 outta the 10 teams who made the playoffs were in the bottom half of the league in payroll last year- This includes the lowest payroll in all MLb in the Rays
Atl was 15th a click above league avg as well and was in bottom half until Melancon late
3 outta the top 5 spenders Bos Giants Cubs didnt make the playoffs
Your out of touch here vastly as shown
You realize the last several years the Dodgers have more home grown talent than any other team right?
You’ve failed to show why a reasonable salary cap is not needed in the MLB. When’s the last time a small or mid-market club won a WS? Better yet, when’s the last time two small or mid market teams met in the WS? There’s a reason why big market clubs spend so much money. They know that postseason success relies on talent AND depth, something most teams don’t have. They also know the best way maintain an edge over teams who can’t or won’t spend on stud FAs is to sign or trade for said stud FAs.
You are incorrect. The top teams like the Yankees and Dodgers will likely win their divisions and be the top team in both leagues. They will make it no matter the format. What stinks is adding more rounds and creating a more random format for the playoffs. How stupid is winning 2 out of 3. It’s one thing to do it for wildcard teams who should just be thankful to have a chance but to do it for other division winners? Gee, thanks for rewarding us for winning the division. Even a bad team win 2 out of 3 against a good team once in a while. If you’re the more talented team you want the least number of rounds and seven game series, not three game series. Stupid stuff by MLB. Glad that Bauer called out the commissioner. Pure stupidity.
The Dodgers haven’t won jack since 1988. The Yankees were dogs in the 80s (great decade). Times have changed, but no team has an unlimited window. However, as long as they win 82 or more games, they’re in the playoffs.
Tanking won’t stop until the MLB does something about the broken free agent system. It’s HEAVILY weighed towards teams who print and spend money. So pretty much every team with a billion dollar tv contract gets an automatic playoff bid most years (cvbs don’t meet that specification yet).
The commissioner is a moron. He’s destroying the game.
Sure would be interesting if the Red Sox/Dodgers met again in the WS this year and Graterol comes up to pitch against the Sox. Especially if he gets a win/strikes out the side against Boston.
The playoffs should not expand, but the Wildcard should be a series of at LEAST 3 games. The 1 game playoff is absurd and comes down far more to luck than it does to skill and talent.
Luck? Not true. WC games reward 2nd/3rd place teams who played the best under pressure, something that used to be respected in past generations. Now none of the games will mean anything anymore.
I’m fine with wild card game being one game because they didn’t really earn it. Didn’t win their division and should just be happy they have a chance. That said, all other rounds should be 7 games. 5 game series reward teams with three dominant starters. 7 games rewards the more complete and better team. Bigger sample sizes favor better team winning.
Big market teams don’t win their division every year. The Dodgers have had a long and unusual run thanks to so many teams with no pitching in the NL West. The Yankees and Dodgers won’t be on top forever, but they’ll still get rewarded with playoff appearances because the revenues their markets generate. Fans will eventually get tired of this, though. Ratings and attendance will continue to drop until something’s done about the screwed up economics of the game itself. The only people who whine and complain when the Yankees or Red Sox don’t make the postseason is the media. Most fans outside of NY and Boston couldn’t care less.
slept through the week. what did i miss?
I liked the video; but that hat-shirt combo is a sin.
When is Manfred’s contract uo? He needs to go and FAST
*up
Look what has happened to NASCAR in the last decade, ever since they have started the whole playoff thing. They extremely changed the game and it killed the sport.