MLBPA proposal thoughts?

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

The only thing in that proposal I’m not too big of a fan of is the #1 seed and #1 WC getting to select their opponent in the playoffs. But I’m fully on board reducing the amount of regular season games. 

There’s no other solution to expanding playoffs since double header games are off the table. 

You can also fix quite a bit of this by going back to two large divisions and letting the division winners get the bye, which I'm a much bigger fan of.  

A shorter schedule is fine by me too.

[MackMan]

27 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

I'd prefer seeding by record instead of automatically making the #3 division winner the #3 seed (maybe with the caveat that the #2 division winner is automatically the #2 seed), but I actually would prefer this to the current system.  In the AL, the top three records were all on the same side of the bracket.  I hate that.

I agree. I think that seeding should be done by record. For example: Best record of division winners get #1 and 2nd Division winner gets #2. Then a WC team could theoretically have the #3 because their record was better than a division winner (This year with the Yankees and Houston). Then the #4 is the 3rd Division winner and 5&6 being the other WC teams. Keep same format of #1 &#2 get byes. Move the Wildcard series to a BO5 and everything else to a BO7 series. 

Get the season down to 154 or 146 games. Push the start of the season back a week or 2 (especially considering the northern teams) so that weather doesn't have a huge impact of make-up games, double headers (especially if we go to a 6 game series in 6 days), and require that if players get called up or sent down, they must stay a minimum of 7 days (barring injuries/paternity leaves/bereavement leaves). 

On top of that make it so if a player in their first 5 years wins MVP/CY Young awards, they're eligible for free agency after 5 years. But with that, the team they were with gets a supplemental pick (kind of how rewarding young players with actually getting called up and getting ROY happened) for having the current MVP/Cy Young award winner. Reward these teams and players properly for it. 

[The Great Hambino]

1 minute ago, TheLeviathan said:

You can also fix quite a bit of this by going back to two large divisions and letting the division winners get the bye, which I'm a much bigger fan of.  

A shorter schedule is fine by me too.

I'm also a proponent of 4 divisions of 8 teams once expansion happens, but I know that's about as likely as there being a CBA agreement with no lockout

Re: shortening the season, did anyone do the math on this?  AAA currently has a 150 game season with a standardized off day each week, and their season is only a week shorter than the current MLB schedule.  Add 4 games (with perhaps an additional off day) to that, plus another 2 days for the divisional round, plus more off days in the playoffs to avoid day games ... when exactly do they plan on starting or ending this thing?  They're either overselling the additional off days part, or the season is going to stretch the bounds on the beginning and end of the season even further

[TheLeviathan]

1 minute ago, The Great Hambino said:

I'm also a proponent of 4 divisions of 8 teams once expansion happens, but I know that's about as likely as there being a CBA agreement with no lockout

Re: shortening the season, did anyone do the math on this?  AAA currently has a 150 game season with a standardized off day each week, and their season is only a week shorter than the current MLB schedule.  Add 4 games (with perhaps an additional off day) to that, plus another 2 days for the divisional round, plus more off days in the playoffs to avoid day games ... when exactly do they plan on starting or ending this thing?  They're either overselling the additional off days part, or the season is going to stretch the bounds on the beginning and end of the season even further

This problem would only be further complicated every few years by the fact that baseball is now going to be an Olympic sport again, which would presumably add several weeks to to the season.

[The Great Hambino]

Just now, TheLeviathan said:

This problem would only be further complicated every few years by the fact that baseball is now going to be an Olympic sport again, which would presumably add several weeks to to the season.

It will be so fun having Opening Day taking place before March Madness Selection Sunday

For real though, I'm guessing MLB players in the Olympics will be a one-off to take advantage of them taking place in LA.  I don't think they're sending their best players to a tournament in friggin Brisbane in the middle of the season in 2032.  Or potentially to Qatar or India (supposed early frontrunners) in 2036

[Trov]

I care less about the playoff seeding, but the 154 game schedule with almost always having Mondays off is interesting.  I have a feeling it could lead to 6 man rotations.  Some teams have messed with 6 man rotations, but when you know you have 6 games and a day off, it helps makes sense of it. If you stick with 5 man, your top guy say pitches Tuesday, then Sunday, then if you do regular rest would then be Friday, or if you give each person the off day rest, Saturday. 

I do not think each team would go to that, right way, but there will be teams that will try it.  I do think the shortened schedule with always having an off day will be something players will like.