MLB playoff expansion

[turski7]

Just saw this. Looks like MLB may move to a 10-team playoff this year. Is this a good move?

http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/35034180

 

[Stitch]

Really, because it's not really news. The deadline for a deal for this season is March 1.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

The season is too long as it is. Baseball was not meant to be played in November. Cold weather adds nothing to baseball the way it does with football.

 

[bigpern23]

The season is too long as it is. Baseball was not meant to be played in November. Cold weather adds nothing to baseball the way it does with football.

It only adds one day to the schedule, so I don't think that's a real big concern. I just think of a year like last year where the final day of the season was so spectacular, but it wasn't "forced" drama, which I feel like this one-game playoff really is -- forced.

I haven't read yet, so I'm curious, how with they handle it when there's a tie for the fifth slot? I guess there will be a one-game playoff to get into the one-game playoff? That sounds a little weird. What if there's three teams tied for the final two wild slots? How will they decide which two of the three will get into the one-game playoff? It will happen at some point, so I'm curious to know now what the plan is for that situation.

 

[Gold]

I think it is a good idea because winning the division means more and getting a wild card poses more risk. That is the way it should be.

 

[bigpern23]

I think it is a good idea because winning the division means more and getting a wild card poses more risk. That is the way it should be.

I think that's the best reason for it. I like that baseball has traditionally let so few teams into its postseason, so I'm leery of expanding it to 1/3 of the league, but I'm OK with giving it a shot.

I do worry that eventually they'll expand the "Wild Card Round" or whatever they end up calling it to best of three, then best of five, etc. But I'm open to this idea.

 

[Bubbler]

The season is too long as it is. Baseball was not meant to be played in November. Cold weather adds nothing to baseball the way it does with football.

It only adds one day to the schedule, so I don't think that's a real big concern. I just think of a year like last year where the final day of the season was so spectacular, but it wasn't "forced" drama, which I feel like this one-game playoff really is -- forced.

I haven't read yet, so I'm curious, how with they handle it when there's a tie for the fifth slot? I guess there will be a one-game playoff to get into the one-game playoff? That sounds a little weird. What if there's three teams tied for the final two wild slots? How will they decide which two of the three will get into the one-game playoff? It will happen at some point, so I'm curious to know now what the plan is for that situation.

I think it should be a best 2-of-3 if they add a round. The idea is to punish the wild card team and make it harder for them, something I don't really agree with, given that often times, the wild card team has a better record than one or the other of the division winners. I don't like that a division winner gets an advantage just because it won a weak division with an 85-win season.

Also, people can't use last year as some sort of benchmark. Great as it was, it was a rarity.

Moreover, if you look back at baseball standings' past, there are examples where Game 162 would be just as dramatic for the fifth playoff spot as it was for the fourth one in both leagues last year.

In general, though, I'm not opposed to baseball playoff expansion. Even if it adds two teams, the percentage of baseball teams that make the playoffs is still far lower than it is for other leagues.

 

[buckweaver]

Moreover, if you look back at baseball standings' past, there are examples where Game 162 would be just as dramatic for the fifth playoff spot as it was for the fourth one in both leagues last year.

Yep. For instance, we could have had a three-way AL tiebreaker for the second wild card in 1996 between Boston, Chicago and Seattle.

And in both 2008 and 2009, the AL Central co-champions (Twins/White Sox and Twins/Tigers) would have finished with the same record as the second wild card in those years. Consecutive three-way ties instead of the fantastic one-game playoffs we had.

http://sabr.org/latest/who-were-second-wild-card-teams-1995

 

[Armchair_QB]

I'm just excited about the fact that there is a chance for the Cubs to miss three playoff spots instead of two.

 

[Bubbler]

I'm just excited about the fact that there is a chance for the Cubs to miss three playoff spots instead of two.

I hope Ryan Braun hits a home run to knock the Cubs out of the playoffs. One that just barely clears the fence, its distance aided by HGH use.

 

[Armchair_QB]

I'm just excited about the fact that there is a chance for the Cubs to miss three playoff spots instead of two.

I hope Ryan Braun hits a home run to knock the Cubs out of the playoffs. One that just barely clears the fence, its distance aided by HGH use.

Dream on. They'll never be that close to a playoff spot.

Besides he'll break down now that he can't juice anymore...

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

If it creates hope in places like Baltimore and Toronto, or any other city whose team is competing in a brutal division, it cannot be anything but good.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

The one bad scenario that I heard mentioned is if you have 2 teams fighting for the division title to the last day, and then the team that loses has to host a team that it was far better than but spent the last week resting players & lining up pitching while they went all out.

 

[HanSenSE]

I've never gotten the notion that a baseball wild card team should be "punished," when it happens in no other sport. I think only the purists who, just recently, have been convinced that night games are OK hold this belief.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Did a single fan or commentator say after the 2011 season that what baseball needed was more playoff games? No. This is just more TV "inventory" for MLB to sell. It's stupid. The playoffs are a ratings mediocrity. Baseball's regular season drives the money train, and they keep thinking of more ways to make it less important.

 

[RickStain]

I've never gotten the notion that a baseball wild card team should be "punished," when it happens in no other sport. I think only the purists who, just recently, have been convinced that night games are OK hold this belief.

In the NFL, the wild card teams get an extra round and the road disadvantage.

I'm about as far from being a purist as it is possible to be in baseball, but I love the idea just for the fact that it makes a clear distinction between winning the division and winning the wild card.

 

[RickStain]

I don't even know if I'd call it a real "expansion" of the playoffs. They basically split the existing wild card into two halves.

 

[Azrael]

Did a single fan or commentator say after the 2011 season that what baseball needed was more playoff games? No. This is just more TV "inventory" for MLB to sell. It's stupid. The playoffs are a ratings mediocrity. Baseball's regular season drives the money train, and they keep thinking of more ways to make it less important.

" " "

 

[steveu]

Did a single fan or commentator say after the 2011 season that what baseball needed was more playoff games? No. This is just more TV "inventory" for MLB to sell. It's stupid. The playoffs are a ratings mediocrity. Baseball's regular season drives the money train, and they keep thinking of more ways to make it less important.

Michael, this is my biggest problem with it. Look at the ending to that 2011 season. Could it get any more thrilling than seeing Atlanta and Boston (or two other teams in another season, perhaps) complete their collapses by getting eliminated on the final day?

Now you're going to take away some of that drama by creating the extra wild cards.

I guess I want to see this played out before I add any more comments. I'm just glad, beginning in 2013, the end of the season supposedly returns to Sundays. Now all MLB needs to do is restore the traditional Monday Opening Day (with the ESPN Sunday night game, of course...)

 

[RickStain]

No matter where you cut off the playoff spots, there will be drama like that some seasons and not others, in pretty much the same ratio.

Last year, four happened to be the magic number. There will be other years where four would be boring but five would be exciting.