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The playoff system, in the best of years, causes debate and frustration. Should a team play 162 games and really have its season come down to one three-hour, sudden-death game? Are 10 teams too many for a postseason? Too few? There is no perfect setup, so imagine how imperfect it was going to be this …
The playoff system, in the best of years, causes debate and frustration.
Should a team play 162 games and really have its season come down to one three-hour, sudden-death game? Are 10 teams too many for a postseason? Too few?
There is no perfect setup, so imagine how imperfect it was going to be this year, if MLB is lucky enough to even reach October without having to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the brink of the season MLB and the Players Association reached agreement to expand for this year only (at least for now) from 10 to 16 clubs. Why? You know why? Money.
MLB gets more from networks for expanding the inventory its TV partners like, which is postseason games, while the players will receive, at minimum, a $50 million postseason pool, up from zero if there are no fans at playoff games.
As for the baseball, there also is a chance to give more teams a shot at playing meaningful games in September and beyond, and the ability for a good team to survive a stumble or two over 60 games and still find entry to the tournament.
This new plan has the first- and second-place team in each division making the postseason then the next two best records after that, for eight in each league. The top seed would play the eighth seed, the seventh versus the second and so on, and the three division winners plus the second-place finisher with the best record would host all of the games in a first-round best-of-three.
MLB likes this system because it limits travel and gives division winners the edge of playing exclusively at home in the first round.
I would go further with this tweak: The seventh and eight seeds should have to win Game 1 or else they would be eliminated. Here is why:
Since 2012 we have become familiar with a singular wild-card sudden death to open the playoffs in both leagues. So this would be the same — but only for one team in each of the four 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7 series. In this case, the teams that would be in instant jeopardy did not even finish first or second in their divisions. Also, this is the year in which accommodations are being made for strange circumstances. For example, the NBA is doing a version of this whereby the eighth seed and ninth seed will play with the eighth seed having to win once and the ninth seed twice to advance into the regular playoff phase.
This compels clubs to not just try to win their divisions, but to strive to the end to amass one of the best two records in each league. That puts greater value on more regular-season games (good for the competition and for getting eyeballs on the product). No club that has a chance to finish as one of the top two seeds is going to concede that late in the year.
Because think of the advantages. The best teams in the league have two ways to eliminate an opponent: 1) a single-game knockout or 2) the safety net of doing it in three games. If done in one game, that high-seeded club now not only gains extra rest, but a chance to bring its ace back as soon as Game 2 of the Division Series.
The TV networks like postseason games. They also like elimination games. And doing it this way, makes it an elimination game for one or both teams in every game of a best-of-three. The seventh and eighth seeds have a sudden-death contest to open their postseason. If the lower seed wins, Game 2 becomes an elimination game for either the No. 1 or 2 seed. And if it goes the distance, obviously, it is win or go home for both teams.
The inventory could drop. In the new system, there could be a maximum of 65 games. In my setup there could still be 65 games, but if the top two seeds won the opener in each league that would drop to a maximum of 57 games. But, remember, this already is up from the 10-team playoff, which maxes out at 43 possible games.
There has to be more ways to reward the best teams. Yes, they get all the games at home in the first round, which has the advantage of familiarity and no hotels, etc. But there remains a strong chance there are no fans in the seats, removing the biggest edge.
Also, there is a decent chance a sub-.500 club will sneak into the playoffs in this new system. Prorated to 60 games based on last year’s final records, the Astros (107-55) would be the AL’s top seed at 40-20 while the Rangers (78-84) would be their first-round foe after going 29-31. That is an 11-game gap in just 60 games, and there should be rewards/penalties for that kind of chasm.
So, play that out this year. If Justin Verlander, says, beats Mike Minor in Game 1, the 1 vs. 8 series is over and the Astros do not have to risk a two-game losing streak when the Rangers could start Corey Kluber and Lance Lynn in Games 2 and 3. But if Houston loses Game 1, it at least has the next two games to try to rally and save its season.
Is it perfect? Nope. No playoff system is. But every postseason setup should give as many advantages as possible to teams that dominate the regular season.
