Is it....

Allow 14 playoff teams and the $$$$ that comes with it = give into player CBT demands

I like 12 if we are expanding.

I'd just hate the "we pick our opponents" aspect of the 14 team plan

I have come around on the 14 team tourney, but it would have to play out like this...

The 3 division winners make the playoffs. They're seeded 1, 2, & 3 based on their overall record. Best records get home field.

2 plays 3

1 plays the winner of the play-in the tournament.

The Play-In tournament is a double elim 4 team tournament. Basically what regionals are in college baseball.

The next 4 best records get in. The top "Wild Card" team hosts the tournament.

No double headers - just 4 to 5 days in a row. 2 games would take place on days 1 and 2. Day 3 is the winner of the losers bracket. Day 4 is winners bracket vs losers bracket. Day 5 is if necessary.

By doing this you put heavy emphasis on winning the division and create a really fun tournament with 3 to 4 elimination games. Plus the best WC team gets the top seed and hosts the event. But the winner of the tournament is going to have some depleted arms so it rewards the best overall record fairly significantly.

If you used the 2021 AL here is how it would set up:

Play In Tourney @ Fenway
1. Boston vs 4. Seattle
2. New York vs 3. Toronto

Tampa awaits the winner.

2/3 is Houston & Chicago.

Wait that's the format they're going with?!

I thought it was #1 gets bye, and 2-6 play a best of 3

Bregs is now on the broadcast of the OU/LSU game on the MLB Network.

No, this is my superior idea.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33424267/players-union-preparing-written-response-mlb-last-cba-offer-sources-say

Quote:

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While the players agreed to a playoff expansion from 10 to 12 teams, they would consider expanding to 14 -- MLB's preferred number -- but only if the three-game wild card series include a unique provision. To incentivize winning a division, the league has proposed using a "game in hand" or "ghost win," in which a division winner in a three-game wild card series would start the series with "a win" and need only one more to advance.

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I don't like the idea of 14 teams, but I like the double elimination incentive for the higher seed. Then again, if the whole point is to add more teams for more revenue, then eliminating a game upfront seems foolish

I say keep it at 12 teams if we are expanding.

Top 2 teams in each league get a bye. Teams 3-6 play in a best of 3 series.

So this past season it would have been
1. Tampa (BYE)
2. Houston (BYE)

Best of 3 wild card series (hosted by best record)
3. Chicago vs 6. Toronto
4. Boston vs 5. New York

Tampa vs BOS/NYY winner
Houston vs CHI/TOR winner

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33423790/amid-uncertainty-multiple-mlb-teams-asked-league-canceling-rule-5-draft-season-sources-say

Farmer1906 said:

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I have come around on the 14 team tourney, but it would have to play out like this...

The 3 division winners make the playoffs. They're seeded 1, 2, & 3 based on their overall record. Best records get home field.

2 plays 3

1 plays the winner of the play-in the tournament.

The Play-In tournament is a double elim 4 team tournament. Basically what regionals are in college baseball.

The next 4 best records get in. The top "Wild Card" team hosts the tournament.

No double headers - just 4 to 5 days in a row. 2 games would take place on days 1 and 2. Day 3 is the winner of the losers bracket. Day 4 is winners bracket vs losers bracket. Day 5 is if necessary.

By doing this you put heavy emphasis on winning the division and create a really fun tournament with 3 to 4 elimination games. Plus the best WC team gets the top seed and hosts the event. But the winner of the tournament is going to have some depleted arms so it rewards the best overall record fairly significantly.

If you used the 2021 AL here is how it would set up:

Play In Tourney @ Fenway
1. Boston vs 4. Seattle
2. New York vs 3. Toronto

Tampa awaits the winner.

2/3 is Houston & Chicago.

---

I really like that structure, but I'm not sure it would ever work for the owners. The point of increasing teams in the playoffs is to increase well attended playoff games. A game between Toronto and New York played in Boston would surely be poorly attended.

tjack16 said:

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I say keep it at 12 teams if we are expanding.

Top 2 teams in each league get a bye. Teams 3-6 play in a best of 3 series.

So this past season it would have been
1. Tampa (BYE)
2. Houston (BYE)

Best of 3 wild card series (hosted by best record)
3. Chicago vs 6. Toronto
4. Boston vs 5. New York

Tampa vs BOS/NYY winner
Houston vs CHI/TOR winner

---

This is the way. What I like most is it gives playoff teams incentives to keep playing for W's. There's meaningful impact of being tiered at 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6.

Unfortunately MLB wants even more playoff games than the handful this would add versus the current structure.

Union plans to offer MLB written responses to all of the league’s most recent proposals. https://t.co/KruqgW3jAc

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 5, 2022

Bellinger is one of the charter members of the 1819 club.

OPS:

2019 ---> 1.035
2020 ---> .789
2021 ---> .542

this guy has fallen off the grand canyon.

but for some reason LAD signed him for $17 MM for 2022 to avoid arbitration

Interesting bit of trivia I discovered today...who was the pitcher on the mound in 2018 for the Padres when Bregman hit the pop-up that Eric Hosmer dropped 10 feet from home plate to win the game?

Phil Maton

Updated field dimensions at Minute Maid Park in LCF.

It’s now 366 instead of 362 just to the right of the Crawford Boxes

It’s now 399 under the Phillips 66 Pump instead of 404.

Not sure why they remeasured it 🤷🏻‍♂️ #Astros pic.twitter.com/A2F9ULmNDs

— Ryan Gonzalez (@RyGo_17) March 6, 2022

Seems the dimensions changed in LF and CF

Did they actually change or just got more accurate?

agdaddy04 said:

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Did they actually change or just got more accurate?

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probably just more accurate measurements

How'd they measure them before that they were that far off?

Stepped them off

Eyeballed it.

About 4 hondo to the pump.

07ag said:

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How'd they measure them before that they were that far off?

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There's a joke here somewhere...

NSFW for language...but still hilarious (and accurate)

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33438241/sources-mlb-eyes-pitch-clocks-14-seconds-empty-bases-19-seconds-runners-on

MLB doesn’t see much progress in union proposal today. Players did make some moves but made no change in CBT request of $238M to $263M over the 5 years. MLB offer goes from $220M to $230M over the 5. Still a ways to go.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 6, 2022

MLBPA proposal per source:

• Would grant MLB ability to implement 3 specific on-field changes w/45-day notice, starting w/2023 season: pitch clock, larger bases, shift restriction. MLB also wants robo umps w/45-day, players didn’t offer
• Prearb pool starting at $80m, down $5m

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 6, 2022

• MLBPA is still at 6 picks for amateur draft lottery, MLB Is at 5 (and there’s other disagreements)

Dan Halem and Bruce Meyer had a one on one today after the group meeting. TBD when next meeting will be.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 6, 2022

MLB’s Glen Caplin cont’d: "On some issues, they even went backwards. Simply put, we are deadlocked. We will try to figure out how to respond, but nothing in this proposal makes it easy.”

MLB suggested that the MLBPA had verbally offered something different on prearb pool.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) March 6, 2022

so should be an announcement tomorrow or Tuesday about the next week of cancelled games

I haven’t seen a baseball related lockout this bad since @MikeClevinger kicked his kids out of the house. https://t.co/oD6cjCQxDF

— Not Apologizing 2.0 (@SouthTexanStr0) March 6, 2022

Larger bases??

AustinCountyAg said:

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Larger bases??

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Orange slices

Orange safety base or bust.