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In this concept, the team with the best record in each league would receive a bye to avoid the wild-card round and go directly to the Division Series. The two other division winners and the wild card with the next best record would each host all three games in a best-of-three wild-card round. So the bottom three wild cards would have no first-round home games.

The division winner with the second-best record in a league would then get the first pick of its opponent from those lower three wild cards, then the other division winner would pick, leaving the last two wild cards to play each other.

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I'll wait and see how it goes

Farmer1906 said:

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Topher17 said:

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This sounds horrendous.

I love the currently limited access to the postseason in baseball. The whole point of a 162 game season is the cream rises to the top. Sure the wild card game is fun, but we don't need more of it in my opinion.

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100% Agree.

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I agree. I think Baseball has it figured out. The top quarter are still in it with a month to go, and the top third(ish) make it. That is plenty.

It's fine how it is now. Just tighten up the game times and we're good to go.

Ridiculous.

I like it. Hope to see implemented.

they will end up not going with "pick your opponent" and instead go with the team with the bye plays the worst team left.

txag614 said:

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Starting to hate Manfred.

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"Starting to?"

I get the made for tv thought behind this, but it's absurd.

If $$$ is truly all the care about, cut down the season to 60 games, only on weekends, this do this dumb ****, before the NFL/college football starts.

Then all the games will be in prime time and "more exciting" to the casual person and tickets will sell since lower inventory weekends usually have higer demand.

...and make any hardcore fan abandon the game.

This idea is absolutely dumb. Baseball shouldn't be dragged down to reality tv show.

dumb idea. if they cut the season back to 144 or so games, I might change my mind.

I like it.

I hate that 162 games during the season can come down to one single elimination wild card game. Baseball is never about one game unless it's the 5th or 7th one.

I think the idea of a selection show (which you know they'll do) would be a pretty cool addition.

My only gripe is that one team gets a bye. Forget 7 teams...take it to 6, 2 get byes, 3 gets to pick who they play in the wild card round, done deal.

The smartphone ADHD effect is knocking on baseball's door.

investorAg83 said:

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I like it.

I hate that 162 games during the season can come down to one single elimination wild card game. Baseball is never about one game unless it's the 5th or 7th one.

I think the idea of a selection show (which you know they'll do) would be a pretty cool addition.

My only gripe is that one team gets a bye. Forget 7 teams...take it to 6, 2 get byes, 3 gets to pick who they play in the wild card round, done deal.

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I respect your opinion, but I'm curious how you hate the 162 game season coming down to a single elimination game, but you're okay with it coming down to three? The Twins and Yankees both won over 100 games last year, but they need to play three games against a team they've proven to be better than over the course of an entire season? To me three games is almost just as arbitrary as one in baseball, in my opinion.

The Mets last year proved over the course of 162 that they weren't a top team in baseball, but their rotation in a playoff format as is being proposed would have given them a really good shot at the title. Should they be rewarded in October for having three great pitchers, but not building a roster around them good enough to get to the postseason as it currently stands?

Topher17 said:

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investorAg83 said:

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I like it.

I hate that 162 games during the season can come down to one single elimination wild card game. Baseball is never about one game unless it's the 5th or 7th one.

I think the idea of a selection show (which you know they'll do) would be a pretty cool addition.

My only gripe is that one team gets a bye. Forget 7 teams...take it to 6, 2 get byes, 3 gets to pick who they play in the wild card round, done deal.

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I respect your opinion, but I'm curious how you hate the 162 game season coming down to a single elimination game, but you're okay with it coming down to three? The Twins and Yankees both won over 100 games last year, but they need to play three games against a team they've proven to be better than over the course of an entire season? To me three games is almost just as arbitrary as one in baseball, in my opinion.

The Mets last year proved over the course of 162 that they weren't a top team in baseball, but their rotation in a playoff format as is being proposed would have given them a really good shot at the title. Should they be rewarded in October for having three great pitchers, but not building a roster around them good enough to get to the postseason as it currently stands?

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Because there are no 1 game series over the 162 game season. It's always a 3 or 4 game series. Why does a 'playoff team' only get one game in the postseason?

I agree with you. I don't love the one game wildcard for the same reasons I don't love the new proposal. It's a thrill to watch, but in the scheme of things it doesn't make sense from a baseball perspective. I fully realize it is all about money and viewership though, which is the same thing behind the new proposal.

I also believe if they want to do something like this they will have to shorten the regular season. The postseason already bleeds into early November, which is too long.

The current MLB post season is perfect.

I love the wild card game. I think its one of the great additions that Baseball has done in years.

It add an additional team to the post season which usually means a 90 win team will not get left out of the playoffs.

Before the wild card there was no real advantage for winning the division. The wildcard team got all the same advantages as a division winner minus home field advantage. Now there is still a reward for the teams with the best record, and division winner.

The major impetus for initially expanding the 1995 post season happened when a 100 win San Francisco team did not make the 1993 post season.

One game that is essentially a single Game 7 add excitement to the post season. Especially when you consider the Wild Card team has won the World Series.

I do not like this new post season proposal. The MLB is the only post season where almost all of the teams are typically elite.

Kellso said:

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The current MLB post season is perfect.

I love the wild card game. I think its one of the great additions that Baseball has done in years.

It add an additional team to the post season which usually means a 90 win team will not get left out of the playoffs.

Before the wild card there was no real advantage for winning the division. The wildcard team got all the same advantages as a division winner minus home field advantage. Now there is still a reward for the teams with the best record, and division winner.

The major impetus for initially expanding the 1995 post season happened when a 100 win San Francisco team did not make the 1993 post season.

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That was a travesty. Made even more ridiculous because the giants were in the same division as the braves. When I think Atlanta, I think obviously they should be in the NL west. I think that realignment with creating the central division, and putting teams in divisions that actually made some sort of geographical sense, was the most significant change baseball has ever made IMO. The wildcard system, though, significantly changed how fans were able to root for their team in the second half of the season, and made everything much more enjoyable across the board. Yes, the braves-giants race in 93 was epic and went down as one of the most incredible and devastating season endings in my lifetime. But I'd be ok never having to think about that season the rest of my life.

For me, the previous system before the one game play-in was created was perfect. I can see the appeal to doing it this way, and I have enjoyed watching it, but I personally thought it better before this current system. The one being discussed in the OP, on the other hand, is just one big cluster that needs to be laughed out of existence. What a joke that would be and I question the sanity of anyone who thought it was a good idea, let alone one that should ever be spoken out loud.