Future wild-card teams could have a much different path to a World Series title than the Washington Nationals used in 2019.getty images
While Rob Manfred stopped short of calling playoff expansion inevitable in the next few years, the MLB commissioner believes the proposal that could add as many as four teams to baseball’s postseason, and incorporate other outside-the-box elements, would be “really good” for a sport angling to attract viewers in an increasingly competitive entertainment landscape.
“We have work to do with the players association, and we have work to do on the plan,” Manfred told Sports Business Journal last week at an event in Kansas City. “But I think it’s a plan that has real merit.”
The plan, first reported by the New York Post and deemed by many as a radical potential change, would see 14 of MLB’s 30 teams reach the playoffs, with the club with the best record in each league receiving a bye in the wild-card round. The most dramatic element would be a live playoff selection TV show — similar to the unveiling of the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket — where teams would select their opponents on the last day of the regular season.
MLB Postseason Formats
1903-1968: One pennant winner from each league
1969-1993: Two division winners from each league
1994-2011: Three division winners plus the top second-place team from each league
2012-present: Three division winners plus the top two non-division winners from each league
Under the proposal, the division winner with the second-best record in each league would get first pick from among the three wild-card teams with the worst record. Then the division winner with the third-best record would pick. The two remaining wild-card teams would play each other. All series in that round would be best-of-three, and all games would be hosted by the team with the better record.
MLB’s TV deals with ESPN and Turner expire after the 2021 season, and having more postseason games to offer would be attractive to potential television partners.
The report detailing the proposal prompted mixed reaction among fans on social media and strong criticism from some players. Outspoken Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer tweeted that Manfred is “a joke” and that the plan is “absurd.”
When asked about his reaction to the feedback, Manfred said: “We’re constantly in the process of looking at our game, looking at our sport, trying to make sure that we examine ideas that can keep us as competitive as possible in a really competitive entertainment environment. Whenever you talk about change in baseball, you’re going to have polarized points of view. People get used to the change over a period of time, and if in fact this moves ahead, I think people will get used to it. And at the end of the day, they will realize it’s really good for the game.”
One concern is that by having almost half of MLB reach the postseason in a given year, it may dilute the 162-game regular season and have some teams with marginal records in the playoffs. Manfred cautioned that some details of the proposal could change and that specifics remain fluid.
MLB enters a new decade looking for ways to energize the sport. Attendance during the 2019 season dropped for the fourth straight year. MLB will institute new rules this season in hopes of improving pace of play — including a three-batter minimum for relief pitchers — which also has been at the forefront of Manfred’s mind. And like all sports, baseball is aggressively trying to find new ways to attract a younger audience.
Tony Clark, executive director of the Players Association, issued a statement that said, “Expanding the playoffs in a sensible way is something worth discussing when part of a much more comprehensive conversation about the current state of our game.”
