MLB expands the postseason to 16 teams with three game playoffs

[Brock Beauchamp]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/sports/baseball/mlb-playoffs.html?fbclid=IwAR0a3ZM86C5WTtTczzlMeKcJv1ydlZtK2mPj6CDX9GpSHGNC6ZRwa3lf_oY

 

This is ****ing embarrassing. They have taken a season that already has questions, but had a postseason that would at least give it some merit of legitimacy, and blown it all into a complete bastardization of what baseball is supposed to be.

[Aichiman]

I don't like 16 teams making the playoffs.  I think it's too high.  But I love the best of three game series for the wild card teams instead of the one-game wild card playoff we've had over the last few years.  With the one-game system a lousy team with an ace pitcher could knock off a better overall team without an ace.  It wasn't fair.  And by playing all three potential playoff games in the ballpark of the team with the better record, it awards the better team.  I hope they keep this rule in post-corona baseball.

[DocBauer]

Wow! Hate this 100 times over!

 

I never liked the WC 1 game scenario. I've always thought a 2 of 3 game scenario made more sense.

 

But now a money grab situation similar to the expanded NBA format where barely .500 teams make the playoffs?

 

Sorry, but this stinks of not only $ but a bias to the coasts, IMO. And since this is a money grab, I blame both sides.

 

Couldn't they just keep the standard format and make the WC a 2 out of 3?

 

I will watch and I will enjoy and I will root. And I will end up seeing some 31 win team advance and knock someone out and see the asterisks nobody wanted to see for 2020 grow larger.

[Danchat]

I can't say I'm a fan of the expansion of the playoffs for the NFL and MLB in 2020... it makes sense only in a financial sense. Who wants to see teams with losing records in the playoffs? Gee, I can't wait to see the 27-33 New York Mets get walloped by a far superior team in the playoffs.

 

I'm fine with this as an experiment in this weird year, but I hope we will draw the right conclusions from it. We have already seen the NHL and NBA have half their teams make the playoffs, and the late seeds are almost always irrelevant. I like 10 / 30 teams going to the playoffs fine enough (I do think 8 was a bit low originally, and I am a fan of the wild card game).

[Jimv]

 

 
Sorry, but this stinks of not only $ but a bias to the coasts, IMO. And since this is a money grab, I blame both sides.

 

 

I also suspect that money has a ton to do with this--it often does, but in what way do you see a bias to the coasts?

[nicksaviking]

This is a weird year. In a normal year even the bad teams get a couple of months of meaningful ball. This year, with 60 games, there would be a good chance that good teams, who normally would have plenty of time to recover from a slow start would be out of the race before the season even got more than a few weeks in. Our Twins could find themselves in that position in fact.

 

This is an anomaly season, even though other sports are struggling to get going, nobody is even paying attention right now. There really would be few gimmicks that would bother me at this point. Any game is a bonus to me. 

 

Though to be fair, I'm already running on the belief that it's unlikely the league even sniffs playoff baseball before the whole thing gets shut down for good.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If given ten chances, the Orioles could beat the Dodgers two games out of three and advance one or two times.

 

This is embarrassing.

 

The only legitimacy of this season was the postseason; that the best teams would have to win 5-7 game series and advance, just like they do EVERY SEASON.

 

They've taken all that away.

[Seth Stohs]

I don't like that after the season, the #1 seed will play the #8 seed in a Best of Three series. Granted, they'll have home field in each.

 

The one thing I don't mind about it. It should keep more teams involved and interested throughout the season. It's a sprint, and fans should be entertained, but more city's fans can be entertained...  

[carewser]

Annually we see teams winning their divisions by slim margins after having played 162 games. That’s the nature of baseball: It often takes well over 150 games to truly determine who’s best.

 

So the entire notion of playoffs in baseball runs contrary to the sport’s nature.

 

I’ll watch the playoffs, no matter what their format, and be entertained. But debating which playoff format is purer overlooks the fact that really, in an ideal world, baseball might not have any playoffs at all.

[Intramural Legend]

The best team in baseball last year was 27-33 after 60 games....

 

I like the experiment

[chaderic20]

For those who say they like this as an experiment, or for this year - the agreement is for next year as well. And if you think, after two years of the extra money generated from doubling the number of playoff teams, that either the players or owners will say "You know, I think we should go back to the old playoff format, and give up all that extra money," you're crazy. I will go on record now as saying the number of playoff teams will NEVER go back to 8, and only has the tiniest of chances of going as low as 12.

[chaderic20]

 

For those who say they like this as an experiment, or for this year - the agreement is for next year as well. And if you think, after two years of the extra money generated from doubling the number of playoff teams, that either the players or owners will say "You know, I think we should go back to the old playoff format, and give up all that extra money," you're crazy. I will go on record now as saying the number of playoff teams will NEVER go back to 8, and only has the tiniest of chances of going as low as 12.

 Before someone else jumps on me here, I swear the article I read said it was for '21 as well, but the Times article linked says only 2020. My prediction still stands though, the number of playoff teams will NEVER go below 12 again.

[denarded]

So The Twins will be playing at Target Field in mid-November??? Hope for an Indian Summer (Can we still call it that?)

[The Wise One]

The playoff format takes care of the teams in difficult divisions. This allows them a chance to prove if they are better than the other middle tier teams. Heck, they could even be like the Nationals last year. The other benefit is that it ups the price for trade deadline deals. Bubble teams would have to make a choice and better prospects could be the enticement. It could add a bit of intrigue. Think back to the good old days when Eduardo Rodriguez and Torres were traded for a playoff push

[Brock Beauchamp]

The playoff format takes care of the teams in difficult divisions. This allows them a chance to prove if they are better than the other middle tier teams. Heck, they could even be like the Nationals last year. The other benefit is that it ups the price for trade deadline deals. Bubble teams would have to make a choice and better prospects could be the enticement. It could add a bit of intrigue. Think back to the good old days when Eduardo Rodriguez and Torres were traded for a playoff push

What I hate about this is that if the Dodgers and Padres played ten three game sets, the Padres probably win 3-4 of those series.

 

A team like the Dodgers should not be put in the position of losing to a team like the Padres in the postseason.

 

Hell, if the Yankees play the Orioles in ten three game sets, Baltimore wins at least once.

 

That’s not the kind of postseason I want to see.

[4twinsJA]

Not a fan of 16 teams in playoffs. Playoffs are too long already, weather with north teams a factor. MLB should just be happy they are getting a season in and not get greedy. Thought same for NBA, should have had top 4 from each conference play shorter playoff.

[The Wise One]

 

What I hate about this is that if the Dodgers and Padres played ten three game sets, the Padres probably win 3-4 of those series.

A team like the Dodgers should not be put in the position of losing to a team like the Padres in the postseason.

Hell, if the Yankees play the Orioles in ten three game sets, Baltimore wins at least once.

That’s not the kind of postseason I want to see.

A team in the playoffs should beat the less seeded team. If the team overlooks the other team they deserve to be shoved out of the playoffs. It may not be what you personally want to see. In a year of experiments, this playoff format and the extra inning second base runner will hopefully fail. Unfortunately, to me, it is unlikely baseball will see it that way

[Brock Beauchamp]

A team in the playoffs should beat the less seeded team. If the team overlooks the other team they deserve to be shoved out of the playoffs. It may not be what you personally want to see. In a year of experiments, this playoff format and the extra inning second base runner will hopefully fail. Unfortunately, to me, it is unlikely baseball will see it that way

It’s not about overlooking anyone, the problem is the randomness of baseball.

 

The best teams in baseball should not be forced to roll the dice on three games in a sport where those best teams win only 65% of their games.

[wavedog]

I am a bit lukewarm on it but ok with the expanded playoffs for this short season, if we even make it to the end of the season.   I think a lot of teams will be bunched together if there were only 5 spots in each league.   I will be real happy they expanded the playoffs if we finish 6th in the league.    I don't want to see the playoffs expand once we go back to the full regular season schedule.   

 

One thing is for sure in the short series, if we played the Yankees in 10 playoff series we would lose them all. 

[notoriousgod71]

Baseball is now like every other sport where the regular season does not matter. They should be getting rid of playoff teams, not adding them.

 

They just want to make sure the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers can make the playoffs even if they get off to slow starts.

[The Wise One]

 

It’s not about overlooking anyone, the problem is the randomness of baseball.

The best teams in baseball should not be forced to roll the dice on three games in a sport where those best teams win only 65% of their games.

If there were randomness then the Twins would have won one series against the Yankees.

[bighat]

Agree, an absolute joke. Everything about this season is eye roll-worthy. Half the teams make the playoffs and there's a 3-game series right off the bat?

 

At this point in a 60-game season it really doesn't even matter. This is essentially just expanded Spring Training, an exhibition, nothing about it feels real.

 

The only way I can tell this season is real is that Buxton isn't in the starting lineup on opening day. So at least we don't have to pinch ourselves - it's real alright.

[Teflon]

 

1. Eliminate the regular season.
2. All 30 teams qualify for the playoffs
3. Round 1 is a 162 game round-robin weighted towards league and divisional match-ups.
4. At the end of Round 1, the team with the most wins in each league advances to Round 2
5. Round 2 is a best of seven series

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

If given ten chances, the Orioles could beat the Dodgers two games out of three and advance one or two times.

 

This is embarrassing.

 

The only legitimacy of this season was the postseason; that the best teams would have to win 5-7 game series and advance, just like they do EVERY SEASON.

 

They've taken all that away.

 

If given one chance, the Orioles could beat the Dodgers two games out of three and advance.  The whole point of sports is you have to prove it on the field, and in a sport like baseball, where even in a normal year no team plays every other team, you have to have a tournament.  Otherwise a great team from a lousy division could cruise to a regular season pennant over "superior" teams in tougher divisions.  If you believe the regular season is an accurate barometer of relative team quality, then there's no need for any postseason.  At all.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

So The Twins will be playing at Target Field in mid-November??? Hope for an Indian Summer (Can we still call it that?)

 

This format adds 3 games that take place over 5 days, with the opening round completed no later than October 2 (at least this year).  How do you figure it will take baseball 35 days to play a maximum of 19 games?  Even if it did, that's still November 6--I don't think you can call a date mid-month if it's within the first week of the month.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Wow! Hate this 100 times over!

I never liked the WC 1 game scenario. I've always thought a 2 of 3 game scenario made more sense.

But now a money grab situation similar to the expanded NBA format where barely .500 teams make the playoffs?

Sorry, but this stinks of not only $ but a bias to the coasts, IMO. And since this is a money grab, I blame both sides.

Couldn't they just keep the standard format and make the WC a 2 out of 3?

I will watch and I will enjoy and I will root. And I will end up seeing some 31 win team advance and knock someone out and see the asterisks nobody wanted to see for 2020 grow larger.

 

In case you hadn't realized, the sole purpose of professional sports is to make as much money as possible.  If you want money out of the sports you consume, you'll probably need to drop down to high school, if not further.

[USAFChief]

If given ten chances, the Orioles could beat the Dodgers two games out of three and advance one or two times.

 

This is embarrassing.

 

The only legitimacy of this season was the postseason; that the best teams would have to win 5-7 game series and advance, just like they do EVERY SEASON.

 

They've taken all that away.

The 87 Twins should have their WS trophy taken from them, amiright?

[Brock Beauchamp]

The 87 Twins should have their WS trophy taken from them, amiright?

They had to win eight games, not two.

 

The Yankees lost a series against both the Tigers and Orioles last season. The baseball postseason is worse if an elite team is knocked out because they lost two games.

[Intramural Legend]

This entire argument is predicated on the randomness lasting less than 60 games.  Last years World Series winner runs counter to that argument

[Brock Beauchamp]

For the record, I’d be more okay with this idea if the opening series was five games.

 

The more games, the more likely the better team wins out.