Proposal for Postseason changes

[eddie83]

Add another playoff team. That’s right have 7 playoff teams. 6/7 play in a best of one. Winner plays 3 seed. Increases meaning of end of regular season. Teams will want to avoid the one game scenario. This newly created game does add 2 more additional days off before the Division round. 
 

Add a 3 game series for the 4 division winners. One plays one and two plays two in the home park of team with a bettter record. The benefit for the winner is home field advantage in WS. Of course this would only apply if those 2 teams meet in the WS. Even if one team goes up 2-0 the 3rd game will still be played. 
 

End of regular season

1)Off day 

2)6/7 matchups -off day everyone else

3)1-1 and 2-2 series start - off day WC teams

4)1-1, 2-2 Game 2, WC round Game 1

5)1-1, 2-2 Game 3,  WC Game 2

6)WC Game 3 if necessary Off day for division winners 

7)Off day everyone 

Division round starts

 

So the top 2 division champs in each league have 

2 off days 

play 3 games 

2 off days 

The WC teams minus the 6/7 matchup have 

3 off days 

play 2-3 games 

have 1-2 off days 

Doing this increases the meaning of the regular season. Teams will want to avoid the 6/7 play in game. TOR this year some thought may have wanted to be a 6 seed or at least did not care. 
 

It accomplishes one big thing which is eliminates the off days conversation. It will be similar for any team that plays in the Division round. Nobody would confuse playing in a win or go home WC round compared to home field for a series that may not even happen but it’s better than right now. 
 

 

[Bahama O's Fan]

Simple. Eliminate divisions, in fact, even leagues. Completely balanced schedule and take the top 8 or 12 ir whatever teams. Seed according to record

[Moose Milligan]

Sacrilegious, but I want three division winners and one wildcard. Best team with the best record (1) plays the wildcard (4). 2 and 3 play each other. First series is a five game set, the LCS and World Series are obviously 7. 
 

Two off days for everyone after the season. Postseason begins immediately for everyone. 
 

I’m tired of postseason expansion and I get it, it keeps more fans engaged because their team has a chance to make it. I don’t discredit that and I realize what I’d prefer doesn’t allow for that. I also don’t care. 
 

I’m tired of seeing baseball trend towards the NHL where over half the teams in the league make the playoffs. It’s a joke. The NBA is about right there, too.  NFL football is perfect, it can do whatever it does and I’m fine with it. 
 

My point is that as long as they keep expanding things, the answers and scenarios and schedules get more complicated and more annoying. 
 

How did we survive the 70s, 80s and 90s with fewer playoff teams? It’s impossible to comprehend. 
 

Keep the playoffs special. Keep it exclusive. I don’t care if Dwayne in Cincinnati stops watching the Reds in September because they’ve fallen out of the race. 

[eddie83]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

Sacrilegious, but I want three division winners and one wildcard. Best team with the best record (1) plays the wildcard (4). 2 and 3 play each other. First series is a five game set, the LCS and World Series are obviously 7. 
 

Two off days for everyone after the season. Postseason begins immediately for everyone. 
 

I’m tired of postseason expansion and I get it, it keeps more fans engaged because their team has a chance to make it. I don’t discredit that and I realize what I’d prefer doesn’t allow for that. I also don’t care. 
 

I’m tired of seeing baseball trend towards the NHL where over half the teams in the league make the playoffs. It’s a joke. The NBA is about right there, too.  NFL football is perfect, it can do whatever it does and I’m fine with it. 
 

My point is that as long as they keep expanding things, the answers and scenarios and schedules get more complicated and more annoying. 
 

How did we survive the 70s, 80s and 90s with fewer playoff teams? It’s impossible to comprehend. 
 

Keep the playoffs special. Keep it exclusive. I don’t care if Dwayne in Cincinnati stops watching the Reds in September because they’ve fallen out of the race. 

I get all of that but we aren’t going back to it. 
 

I just want to increase end of year meaning and keep teams on similar schedules. 

[NedFromYork]

I think the biggest one in the current format being talked about is no off day between the wild card round and divisional round.  With all wild card games being 2-0 those teams got two days rest and didn't have to dig as deep in to their pitching staffs.

Edited October 10, 2023 by NedFromYork

[24fps]

Isn't this thread supposed to show up around December 15?

[Chavez Ravine]

24 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

I get all of that but we aren’t going back to it. 
 

I just want to increase end of year meaning and keep teams on similar schedules. 

I think your plan is good…and agree we ain’t going back, but I am in  Moose’s camp. I think you should either have a long season and a short playoffs to find the Crème de La crème. Or have a relatively short season and a long playoffs where you really figure out who is best. I prefer the long season where over months you learn who are the best teams. Then the playoffs are just a fun exhibition of talent plus things like Mateo suddenly deciding to mash.

[Rbiggs2525]

I believe the division round should be 7 games and WC round 1 game. This will prevent the long layoff. I say that knowing there is a possibility we are a WC team next year.

[kaj21206]

Go back to two WC teams in a 1 game playoff a day after the regular season ends.  Divisional round starts the next day.  No days off during the divisional round.  Five in a row if needed.  I thought that last year as well. There is no need for all the off days during the post season.  It just helps weaker teams with no depth.

[Billy F-Face3]

8 hours ago, Rbiggs2525 said:

I believe the division round should be 7 games and WC round 1 game. This will prevent the long layoff. I say that knowing there is a possibility we are a WC team next year.

I like this idea. It makes it less of a disadvantage for the top teams. The teams who grinding out to the best records of a 162 game season will get maybe 2 days off and still be in their rhythm and keeping their timing, while also having 7 games to prove they were the best in case something happens in the 2 or 3 days rest when their timing got out of whack. It allows MLB to put on the same number of games and sell just about the same number of tickets and sponsorships as a 3 game WC and 5 game DS.  Probably more if the markets are big (which they usually are for the best teams). And it also gives the same number of teams and opportunity to keep playing, but shortens it to just 1 game. The 1 game wildcard also provides a rewarded advantage to the Division winners/best records in baseball, because the wildcard teams wouldn't get any days of rest if games start right away.

[btownoriole]

This is all about additional TV money.  Instead of two wild card games MLB can sell 8-12.  Any “fixes” to make it “more fair” will likely involve expansion to 8 teams in each league.  I would imagine that will happen after MLB adds two more teams and goes to eight four-team divisions.

The one thing I would like MLB to figure out is more fair seeding.  The #2 seed was locked into playing one of the teams with the 5th and 6th best records while the #1 seed was locked into playing one of the teams with the 2nd or 3rd best records in a best-of-five.  Seems like everyone wants to try to emulate March Madness with a fixed bracket.  

[dystopia]

Go back to two wild cards and play a WC game. There was no reason to change it other than greedy owners wanting more money. 

[Spy Fox]

I think in 3-5 years they'll expand to 16 teams in each league. In that case, it'd make a lot of sense to have two 8-team East/West divisions, keep the current format, and the two byes are the two division winners. The next four best teams play in the wild card series. 

[Sports Guy]

If you don’t get rid of divisions, do nothing except move the division series up 1 day. The WC team doesn’t get a day off if they go 3 games. 

[DirtyBird]

2 divisions in each league, 4 WC teams

WC round is best of 3 w/ double header day after regular season (Monday), game 3 the next day (Tuesday)

Division Series starts Wednesday