To help compensate for the sport’s massive pandemic-driven revenue losses, MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed on a 16-team playoff field with a first-round, three-game wild card series for the 2020 season. That agreement covered this year only, but Commissioner Rob Manfred made headlines a few weeks ago when he said he was “a fan of the expanded playoffs” and hoped to keep them around permanently.
Rather than maintain the 16-team field, though, the league’s preference is to adopt a 14-team format, per Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Under such a system, the team with the best record in each league could potentially receive a first-round bye.
Rosenthal casts doubt on whether that idea would be acceptable to the MLBPA, which fears adding playoff teams could disincentivize clubs from aggressively pursuing roster upgrades. That concern spurred the MLBPA to reject MLB’s push for a 2021 playoff expansion during the parties’ first round of talks this summer. The Players Association also expressed reservation about the physical toll an extra playoff round could take on some players, per Rosenthal.
Typically, players receive a share of gate revenues during the playoffs. This year, with no fans in attendance (until the NLCS), the parties agreed players would receive a $50MM bonus pool from the league’s television revenues in exchange for expansion. That’s a small percentage of the league’s $1 billion estimate for TV revenues this fall, Rosenthal points out. Estimated revenues will further increase over the next decade thanks to the league’s recent broadcasting deals with Turner and Fox.
Also complicating matters is the generally icy relationship between players and owners, Rosenthal notes. The sides were unable to agree on return-to-play measures following weeks of back-and-forth this summer, pushing Manfred to impose a 60-game schedule. The parties’ subsequent agreement on playoff expansion may have eased tensions somewhat, but there’s still a general expectation of acrimony between the two sides moving forward, particularly with the current collective bargaining agreement expiring in December 2021. Potential long-term playoff expansion will surely be a big talking point over the coming months, but the parties seemingly have plenty of work to do to push that over the edge.
just don’t keep 3 game series and the lack of off days.
I’ve been advocating for the removal of off days for a while! Let’s use the full rotation that got the team to the playoffs! Travel or not, they do it all year without off days, why start in the postseason? Days off between series should suffice.
Vickers he’s saying the opposite of that. He’s advocating for having off days. To your point I understand a little but don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference. Teams often throw guys on three and four days rest. Guys from the rotation will often come out of the bullpen and top bullpen arms will be leaned on to throw more pitches and on less rest than normal there’s no way to combat that
Ya, among all these changes, the one thing I like is no off days for travel. I want depth of rotation to be a factor and fewer off days in the series brings that to the forefront. Of course, I support the off days between series so teams can reset.
Completely against best of three series. This year the playoff expansion is all about revenue fairness got tossed out the window. If they are going to expand the playoffs it needs to be on a smaller scale. This isn’t basketball or hockey
Go back to 10!!!
I can see 6 teams per league, with the two top first place teams awaiting the winners of single games matching 3-6 and 4-5.
12 maybe but first need to add a Central League and National League becomes West League and American League the East League and do Postsesason March Madness style so like Kansas City host site in the Central with Central region getting 1 Seed meaning one of the four that are 1-4 at seasons end in terms of record and it plays the 4 seed with second playing the third seed.
They just have to stop, or try to stop sub-500 teams from getting in. For example, if the other league has a plus-500 team missing the playoffs they should be able to jump leagues and take the slot of a sub-500 playoff qualifier. That would be totally insane but fun to watch play out!
Agreed.
I don’t care if they are above or below .500, a team that finished third is not a playoff team. It’s bad enough that second place teams qualify. Even that wouldn’t be necessary if the team that finished with the best record got an automatic bye, but we know that is never going to happen.
Blue Sky.
The Cubs finished 3rd in 2015 with 97 wins. So they are not a playoff team?
They won two post season rounds as well.
But you think a team that maybe wins 88-90 games in a weaker division is a better team than a “third” place finisher in a tough division with 97 wins?
You are nuts
wordonthestreet you just made a good case for adjusting the schedule. Play less than 19 games in your division and more than 7 games against the over two divisions with 15 or so interleague. It could bring more balance and avoid having one pitcher face the same team five times in a year.
That is insane, but I like your style. I say top seeds get byes when there aren’t enough .500 teams to fill slots.
Totally agreed. Disgrace.
It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, there’s the chance that an elite team could be bumped off early by an upstart. On the other hand, teams that shouldn’t be in the playoffs (like the Brewers) will sneak in.
It just seems silly to me to play a 162 game regular season over parts of 6 months, only to let almost or slightly more than half of the teams into the playoffs anyways. The playoffs should be a reward for the good, not the mediocre.
Let’s go back to a postseason that only has a World Series between the best in each league.
Tom – that was when each league only had eight teams. No divisional or league championship series would mean that each league would have one 15 team “division” in each league with a balanced schedule where every team played the teams in their league 11 times and the balance and 8 games inter league…..TV rating would be awful. No division races and half the teams out of the race by April 30. That would help kill the sport big time.
As I’ve said before, simply add two MLB teams so the total is 32, then have four leagues. The regular season’s length could be cut back to 154 games and a playoff schedule surely could be figured out that only involves top teams but will provide enough games to make MLB owners happy.
@ottoc
More teams is part of no solution when we already have several failing franchises.
I’d take that over 16 teams, though both options are terrible.
Conn: agreed!
Too many changes for one year, the 60 game season, universal DH, no off days, postseason expanded to 16 teams, tough to keep up with it all and still act like it’s the same old league you’ve enjoyed for so many years.
The biggest red flag of this is a division winner has to play in a round called “wild card”. MLB better find a way to do this right.
If they want to expand the postseason, make the divisional round a best of 7 instead of best of 5. Leave everything else alone.
Watering it down like the NHL and NBA. Boo!
No -sub .500 teams.
or
Just throw all teams in the tournament
Can you imagine!! That’d be crazy. I’d only be ok with all teams if the top seeds were giving some wins to start series in the early rounds. For example, Rays vs Rangers or Dodgers vs Pirates, the top seed would only need to win 1 game and the bottom would have to win 2. You would have to do this for the first couple rounds, and maybe even reseed.
Back to 8 teams. Make the regular season count.
Expanded playoffs makes more money for owners. Playing baseball until Thanksgiving only increases the risk of injury to players, primarily pitchers.
Go back to 10 teams. Even 8. More teams in the playoffs means more mediocre/bad teams in the playoffs and that ruins the integrity of the regular season
8 teams is ideal
Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees will barely have to try if it’s 16 teams.
And god knows with how they spend money it will make it virtually impossible for them to ever miss the playoffs again.
Money spent doesn’t guarantee success obviously but when you let in over half the league it’s pretty easy to buy a spot then hope you catch fire in October.
Dear Players, a whole bunch of you are about to see the owners unwillingness to spend, expanded playoffs or not. Might as well have a greater chance at winning a Championship; than focus in on negotiating a bigger peice of the playoff revenues
The toll it takes on players? A best of 3 series instead of a play in game?
Sports continues to get worse and worse.
Just let the 16 best teams make the playoffs. The NBA is a joke watching a sub 500:team from the East in while a over 500 in the west is in. I am also sick of the players whining about revenues. What happened to caring about what the fans want? More teams more excitement more fan bases getting involved more te,as pressured to spend.
I might be in the minority here but I like expanded playoffs. Baseball is entertainment. More playoffs are fun. Money also solves a lot of concerns. Good chance owners can trade DH for expanded playoffs. Also, fans might not be able to attend in full capacity until mid-season.
If you’re going to keep it at 16 teams, space the games out more so people can actually watch them. I’d hate to be a fan of a team in the postseason and have to sneak around my phone at work to watch them because they’re on for some reason at noon. You can have multiple games on in the same time slot.
And cycle the teams in the prime time spot…
Make it 12 with top 2 teams getting a bye. Give the #1 ranked team four home games in the LDS. Make the regular season mean more to the best teams in baseball.
Baseball doesn’t care about your opinion on the number of teams. As long as the Padres make it I’m happy
the Padres were the 4 seed, with the 3rd best record in baseball. That doesn’t make sense.
And now since they did this as a NBA-style tournament instead of “best remaining team plays worst remaining team” like the NFL does, the Padres are stuck playing the team with the best record in the divisional round.
That is fair, 1st best record LA, 3rd best record SD. The only unfortunate thing is, it is the NLDS.
I do agree that the playoffs should have been reseeded between rounds. The Dodgers (#1) should be playing Miami (#6) while the Braves (#2) should be playIng SD (#4).
By the same token, TB (#1) should be playing HOU (#6, which, at 29-31, shouldn’t even be in the playoffs), while OAK (#2) should be playing the NYY (#4). But that would have required MLB getting it right.
If they are going to keep the expanded playoffs as 16 teams, 2 things definitely need to happen – 2 more expansion teams are needed, and regular season needs to be reduced.
My radical idea would be to add the 2 expansion teams and change the entire division structure to 4 divisions per league like NFL, with 4 teams per division. 140 regular season games. Top 2 teams from each division face off in the first round of playoffs in a 3 game series. Then 7 game series for 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 in each league based on seeding determined by record of the winning teams from the intradivisional round. Then 7 game series for winner vs winner of divisional round for the pennant. Finally, 7 game World Series.
To many financially unstable teams as it is. League would be better off, stronger also by cutting half a dozen teams than adding ANY teams. Want to add a team? move Oakland, Tampa, Miami, or 1 of several other financially unstable franchises to said locale before it goes bust there and give it -0- aid from other owners.. Sink or swim, just normal revenue from MLB media as other owners receive.
Anything that gets rid of the “play in game” is fine by me. And let’s face it, there’s going to be 32 teams at some point; expanding the playoffs makes a lot of sense. Drop the season to 156; the extra round washes away whatever losses teams would have by losing the 3 extra gates.
And ya, the seeding system has to change. It should ALWAYS be the top vs.. the worst, no matter what round you’re in.
1) We can’t field 30 good teams now, why would we want to make things worse by adding two more teams? And we are also lacking in financially successful teams. If you must tinker, move the financially unsuccessful teams to better markets, if such cities exist.
2) The 162 game season has been the standard since 1961, for nearly 60 years. We compare players statistical performances from one season to the next based on this standard. I would prefer not to see it messed with.
3) I agree that the top team should play the worst, regardless of playoff round.
1. Two of the financially bereft franchises are in the Final Eight, and it’s not hard to imagine one of them (TB) going all the way. But I agree those situations, as well as others, need to be addressed before expansion happens. But the easiest way to make up for 2020/2021 is adding two teams, which will gift about 50M to existing teams.
2. All historical data comparisons are specious at best, and more aptly silly. It’s a different game these days, as it was from 1920-1960. With lots of variables in between.
Why doesn’t Manfred understand that no team wants a bye in the playoffs? This isn’t football where a bye week is a legitimate advantage for game planning and rest. How many times have we seen teams clinch early, rest their starters, and then flop in the playoffs because they lost their rhythm? The 10 team format was just fine, and the only reason they’re discussing expansion is for $. The only change I would make is to turn the wild card game into a best of 3 wild card series, like we saw this year, but just not with 16 teams
“The only change I would make is to turn the wild card game into a best of 3 wild card series, like we saw this year, but just not with 16 teams”
I agree with this suggestion but it contradicts your statement about byes, since it means that every non-wild-card team would have a minimum of a 4 day bye (5 days if the wild card series begins after one day off after the season). Basically, the non-wild-card teams are getting a bye for the wild card round. By expanding that round from 1 game to 3, you are creating a longer bye. 4 or 5 days off could be significant.
I can understand all points of view. I am happy with smaller playoffs of 4 teams from each league (expanded to 5 if the league goes to 32 teams and 4 divisions). I am also happy to see expanded playoffs and teams having surprising runs for fan bases that have suffered for long periods. In regards to the concern of sub .500 teams, make them prove it more by having to sweep a 3 game series while the better seed just needs 1 win. If a team was really good, but had a horrible injury luck year then they can still have a shot with longer odds. I like feeling that my team has a shot to win the World Series every year for more days.
baseball doesn’t need a bye team
only bye manfred
Manfred is an embarrassment to the institution that he “oversees.”
Manfred is certainly not well liked by baseball fans and some of the players as well, but his ‘bosses’ (the owners) love him. He has grown baseball revenues substantially and he was able to figure out a way to play some baseball this year when it looked nearly impossible to do. So long as he keeps growing top line revenues and keeps CBT rules in place to dissuade teams from overspending to win, the owners will keep him in as commissioner as long as he wants to keep doing it. So you’d better get used to him!
Manfred is a glorified snake oil salesman, nothing more.
It never fails to amaze how so few fans seem to understand that the commissioner works the owners, and nobody else but the owners, and when his lips move, it their voices we are hearing.
How about adding 15 games to the regular season, no playoffs and no World Series.
Just participation trophies and everyone feels good.
Increased playoffs would likely have to come at a cost of decreased regular season games. Since players get paid based on the regular season, not the post season so I’m not sure the union will go for that
In order for the players union to agree to expanded playoffs, MLB will have to agree with some sort of ‘guaranteed minimum’ post season payouts for players. Historically, players received 50% of the stadium-generated revenues from playoff games as their post season income. With the new, larger TV playoff contracts and uncertainty of fan attendance going forward, the league can still stick to the 50% stadium revenues for playoff shares, but they may have to guarantee a total, minimum playoff payout (Say $100M?) just in case the fan revenue does not generate enough money to properly compensate the players for these extra playoff games. Something like this:
1) 8 first round losers = $3M per team
2) 4 second round losers = $6M per team
3) 2 League championship losers = $10M per team
4) World Series Loser = $12M
5) World Series Winner = $20M
It would be up to each team to determine who is eligible for playoff shares (just like they do today). If the player’s share of stadium generated revenue exceeds $100M, the extra revenues will be split proportionally based on the $100M payout table. Maybe $100M is too much but I do believe MLB will need to guarantee a minimum amount of playoff revenues in order for the players union to agree to take on more games.
Universal DH… no more AL/NL… just MLB…. expand divisions accordingly… Format the playoffs to both incentivize teams to try in regular season and buy/trade for playoffs…. first round bye for top 4 overall record = 12 team playoff bracket
One simple idea to fix baseball: Leave the game alone.
I’m surprised at the general distaste for expanded playoffs. We all root for our favorite teams to win. Why shouldn’t a greater chance of that happening improve our enjoyment of the season?
In one way or another, expanded playoffs help everyone.
Fans & players are more engaged in more meaningful games. Front offices can call their rebuilds successful much more quickly (or know to switch gears years in advance), and have more “buyers” to work with at the deadline in lost seasons. Broadcasters get better ratings for both the playoffs and regional stretch run games. Even owners make more from the gate.
It’s maybe the one universally positive change.
So, keep the 8 (per league) format. It’s great!
BUT … please abolish (scheduled) 7-inning games, remove the DH from the NL, cancel all interleague play (until the WS), shut down all robot umps, and – for all of our sakes (and that of the game) – ban anything that even remotely reminds us of an automatic baserunner
Pretty much all wrong.
Except the 7-inning game and the automatic baserunner. I agree we should get rid of them. I could go either way on interleague play. I can see pro’s and con’s both ways.
150 game season, 12 team playoff. Make it happen.
I vote no. There is no need to cut the season.
“Rewarding” the best teams by making them sit for five days or a week is a sure-fire way to eliminate those teams early. Baseball is a game of rhythm and consistency. Sitting down for that long creates a huge disadvantage for those teams when they face teams that have been playing regularly.
Go to 3 division winners and 4 wildcards. The #1 seed gets 2 days off, the 2 and 3 play a best of 5. The 4 wild cards play a loser go home one game playoff at a neutral site. Day 1 the 4 teams play 1 game. Winners play the next day to see who goes on to play the best record division winner.
It would give a huge advantage to the division winners which is what should happen.
That’s actually a really good format
An interesting approach. I just don’t like watering down the season by adding two more wild card teams.
In my plan only one can possibly advance. This year you could have had all the wildcard teams advance and no division winner make the second round. That is too risky.
Good points.
What really irks me is after 162 games you play one game and loser goes home. either you are in or you are not it.
First of all there are no one game wild card series this year. Second, if you are a wild card team you are lucky to have any chance of being in the postseason at all. Even if that is a one game chance. Since the team did not win a division, a wild card is a gift. No one should feel irked about a gift.
Good. Hope the players are highly against it and keep it at 5. A bye in baseball is such a joke. Doubt its even an advantage.
There are positives to the old system and positives to an expanded system. What if there were a way to keep all the positives of both sides? I believe there is.
4-5 Team Playoff (old system)
-You reward the result of the long term season and the games have a lot of meaning
-Teams typically get rewarded for spending more
-You dont have teams that dont really deserve it, moving into the division series..
6-8 Team Playoff (new system)
-More fans around the country are interested and stay interested
-Less teams tanking
-More teams playing for something at the end of the year
-More teams getting more money, more players getting more money, more cities getting more money
What I propose could also have added benefits:
-Teams playing hard all the way to the end of the season (Unlike the Padres unsuccessfully trying to gift the Giants into the post season)
-More strategy involved
-More importance to each game during the season
-More similar to regular season with every player being more important
-Most likely season 4th starters getting paid more and being relevent
This could work for:
6 team per division (1st & 2nd place get bye)
7 team per division (1st place gets a bye) – most likely none under .500 will make it
8 team per division (no team gets a bye) – if you hate byes
The basic gist is that the better record gets home field advantage throughout the series, rewarding the better record and ensuring that the playoffs dont take forever and more teams may need a 4th starter for starting the next series. The better record gets to use its Win differential as Runs during the series however they decide before the game to split the runs up.
For purpose of illustration, a 6 team per division in the American League would’ve looked like this:
Braves(36-24) vs. Yankees(33-27) @ New York best of 3. Braves get 3 runs to split across 3 games. They could choose 1 run per game, or 3 runs for the first game for an almost sure win of one game. Or however they choose before hand to split it up.
White Sox(35-25) vs. Indians(35-25) @ Chicago best of 3. No runs to split since equal record.
Personally I believe the #1 Rays should then play the team that advances with the worst winning percentage, and the #2 Twins would then play the other team. This should be best of 5 with #1 Rays and #2 Twins having all games at home. They’ve earned it. (No Runs would be awarded)
Division Series would also be a 5 game series, except with 2 home, 2 away, 1 home.
If you are against byes: (3 days rest isnt much), but you could expand to 8 teams.
You would have a lot of Runs to give away.
Ex. Dodgers (43-17) vs Brewers (29-31) 14 Runs over 3 games. Insane, but the Brewers dont deserve to be there. Will Brewers fans still watch? maybe. But, Dodgers get to stay sharp, and rest some players if they choose. Brewers still get playoff money, and would still be playing hard at the end of the season. Regular season record still means something.
A 16-team playoff is garbage. Stick to the 10-game and stop turning the season into a meaningless journey. Manfred thinks he’s running a pinball game.