There should only be 6 playoff teams

[Porky]

44 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Let's face it.  The truest form was each division winner making the playoffs.  Before that, it was the best team from each league.   They keep letting more teams in to maintain fan interest and viewership.  It works.     The more teams you let in, the less reward for what you did in the regular season.   A team with 88 wins might knock out a team with 100 wins.  

Personally, I enjoy watching good baseball - and the more of it, the better. The key word there is good. I don't have an issue with playoff expansion if the teams and talent in it are worthwhile. 

In the AL, only two of the Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Mariners, and Athletics will make it. In the NL, only one of the Padres, Reds, or Cardinals will make it. Those are all exciting, good teams - and personally I think it's better for the game when a national lens is put on the elite matchups like that. During the course of the regular season, two good teams with their ace pitchers scheduling up against each other is pretty rare.

If it was something where a .500 team is making the playoffs every year, that would be a cause for concern. But that isn't the case, very good teams are going to miss the playoff tournament. I'd much rather see those teams plays each other and control their own destiny - rather than playoff-contenders playing the Orioles/Pirates/Diamondbacks of the world in the final days of the season.

 

[Philip]

2 hours ago, Greenpastures23 said:

The play-in game is a joke, but I don't count that as the playoffs since it's a game to get in the playoffs.

 

Were people complaining when it was 4 teams? To me that was the best because it really awarded the best

I agree. The problem with baseball is that they don’t understand how interesting the game is. You keep the interest factor up, People will come to the games even if their own team is not in competition.

Everything is wrong with how baseball is marketed and how it’s broadcast. I don’t care about home runs I don’t care about strikeouts. And neither does anybody else. We care about strategy we care about baserunning we care about great defensive plays.

 

[Philip]

2 hours ago, Yardball85 said:

When I started following baseball, there were 8 teams, 4 from each league.  I was resistant to the second wild card addition in 2012, but it does make things more interesting and allow more teams to "go for it" at the deadline.  I did not care for what they did last year with 8 playoff teams, but thankfully, that was only due to COVID. 

I remember when Baltimore I think won 97 games and didn’t make the playoffs? Boy that’s harsh!

I do not mind one wild card, but I greatly mind to wildcards and I think the idea of a one game playoff is incredibly stupid. You play 162 games, and that’s not enough to decide who is third best? That’s stupid, it’s illogical and it’s a money grab

[Camden_yardbird]

Would need to come with massive balancing rules changes that MLB is too scared to make or won't make because the current system keeps large market teams competitive while paying off small market owners to keep them quiet.

[Can_of_corn]

34 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

Would need to come with massive balancing rules changes that MLB is too scared to make or won't make because the current system keeps large market teams competitive while paying off small market owners to keep them quiet.

Mets are third in payroll, Phillies are 5th, Angels are 7th.

Yes more money helps, but it isn't that dominant a factor.

[LA2]

Last year was a fiasco, with the sub-.500 Astros making it into the final four. What we have now incomparably better and, yes, it helps keep baseball alive across the nation (and that outpost in the province of Ontario).

[Camden_yardbird]

17 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Mets are third in payroll, Phillies are 5th, Angels are 7th.

Yes more money helps, but it isn't that dominant a factor.

Of course its not.  It allows you to make more errors which is the key.  It does not allow you to make all the errors.

Just like in a game.  You are up 10-2, the error allowing a base hit doesn't mean much.  Tie score, the error means everything.

[DrungoHazewood]

22 hours ago, Greenpastures23 said:

The play-in game is a joke, but I don't count that as the playoffs since it's a game to get in the playoffs.

 

Were people complaining when it was 4 teams? To me that was the best because it really awarded the best

Why would we want to hand more rewards to the Yanks, Sox, and Dodgers for having far more resources than anyone else?  Back in the 1920s-60s when there were just two teams in the playoffs the Yanks were one of those teams about 75% of the time.  I think that's a primary contributing factor to other sports exploding in popularity about that time, if you're a Senators or Indians fan and you're 24 games out of first on June 15th and you have to finish first to go anywhere, football's looking pretty good.

[DrungoHazewood]

17 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Mets are third in payroll, Phillies are 5th, Angels are 7th.

Yes more money helps, but it isn't that dominant a factor.

Sure it is.  The Yanks have not made the playoffs four times since 1995.  The Dodgers have had eight losing records in my 50 years of life.  The Sox 39 winning years in the last 50 including 17 playoff appearances.

The randomizing effect of multiple rounds of playoffs helps mask this.  And yes the Rays are something of an outlier.  

But a team with $500M in revenues probably has an average of over 90 wins a year.  Team with $250M is probably under .500.

[DrungoHazewood]

My choice would be to give the regular season champion in each league (one division, balanced schedule) a big pennant, a 5' tall trophy, and $20M to divide up as they see fit.

Then have a playoff tournament with 12 or 16 teams or whatever to decide the World Series champ.

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Sure it is.  The Yanks have not made the playoffs four times since 1995.  The Dodgers have had eight losing records in my 50 years of life.  The Sox 39 winning years in the last 50 including 17 playoff appearances.

The randomizing effect of multiple rounds of playoffs helps mask this.  And yes the Rays are something of an outlier.  

But a team with $500M in revenues probably has an average of over 90 wins a year.  Team with $250M is probably under .500.

I'll stick with my "not that dominant a factor".  Obviously if you use that level of resources and have a solid team in place (organizationally) it's a very strong combination.

[crowmst3k!]

The play-in game has been the best thing MLB has implemented in a long time.

[Greenpastures23]

On 9/14/2021 at 5:21 PM, crowmst3k! said:

The play-in game has been the best thing MLB has implemented in a long time.

Disagree. The MLB postseason shouldn't be a win and go home game

[Greenpastures23]

On 9/13/2021 at 5:14 PM, Can_of_corn said:

In 1989 the Blue Jays made the playoffs with 89 wins.  The Angels and Royals had more wins and stayed home.

It's just the dynamics at play.

The 87 Twins won their division with only 85 wins. The 80 Orioles with 100 wins and no playoffs

[OriolesMagic83]

I like the current 5 team playoffs and 2 wild card team formats.  I think that wild card teams shouldn't be automatically given a full playoff series (and I know the O's when they are better will probably be penalized by this system).