Mlb might be changing playoff format

[chitownsportsfan]

57 minutes ago, TheBlackSox8 said:

What are the 2 expansion cities?  Montreal/Charlotte for east?  Vegas/Portland for west?  Memphis/Nashville as a central?  What other cities can provide a MLB team?  The examples given are the supposed cities that are sought after for an expansion team.  Who goes to NL who goes to AL, how are the divisions grouped, are there divisions at all?  It is fun to speculate, but how realistic and likely is this all to happen?  I'll hang up and take my answer off the air...

I'd love, love to see Mexico City and Montreal added.

[Ducksnort]

13 minutes ago, pcq said:

Anytime you can play baseball in MN March or November you go for it right?

I'll never understand why they never built a retractable roof on that new stadium when they built it back in 2015. Their first month of home games is like playing in the Winter.

[chitownsportsfan]

Just now, ScooterMcGee said:

I'll never understand why they never built a retractable roof on that new stadium when they built it back in 2015. Their first month of home games is like playing in the Winter.

Give it 5 years.  I'm only half joking but the "springs" in the upper midwest seem to be turning into summer more often than not now.  not great for cherry trees but not bad for baseball.

[flavum]

2 hours ago, SCCWS said:

I am guessing the owners will not agree to a shorter regular season since there will be lost ticket revenue for the 16 who don't make it. My question would be how late does it push the World Series back. Last year it ended on 10/30. Some cities are getting cold in early November. Chicago 's high on 10/31/19 was 38. 

I would make Opening Day the first Monday in April every year. And Game 7 of the World Series would be the third Wednesday in October. Season over by October 21 at the latest. That would mean either shortening the season to 150-156, or playing built-in doubleheader’s with more roster rules. 

[SonofaRoache]

12 minutes ago, Colinski said:

He said could, and that is feasible, albeit ALL of us would agree unlikely. Other sports don’t have that issue as the gap between great and good is bigger, and therefore can afford to have bigger play-offs

I could win a billion dollars tomorrow. In hockey and the NFL lower seeds have just as good of a chance to upset the top seeds as MLB teams. The reason MLB is a toss up is because seeds 1 through 4 are usually all very good teams/division winners. In the post season, the 2019 White Sox would have no chance against a Houston team that is game planning for them. Hell, arguably the best 3 starting pitchers played for Houston. The hitting, bullpen, and coaching also heavily favored Houston. 

[wegner]

Any team picking their opponent just seems odd to me.

[TheBlackSox8]

10 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

I'd love, love to see Mexico City and Montreal added.

I'm shaky on Mexico City...that place is a higher elevation than Denver.  Balls will fly further, and pitches will break even less.  2000 foot difference in elevation.

[ron883]

Let's be real, MLB players are not going to want to live in Mexico City. That isn't going to happen. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

Terrible idea. Too many teams.

[BigHurt3515]

I am little confused how this would be set up? Anyone care to explain better?

[Jack Parkman]

Just my opinion, but every sport's playoffs are too inclusive. Part of what I like about baseball is the exclusivity of its postseason. If Baseball goes the way of the other sports, it will become less enjoyable. 

If they want a larger postseason, they need to significantly reduce the number of games in the RS. 

It makes no sense to play even 154 games if teams under .500 would make the playoffs. That could happen more often in baseball than other sports. 

Somewhere between 100-120 games would be appropriate in a regular season in this format. 

 

In my baseball world, you have one league, with all 30 teams and the best 8 make it. 8 teams is the right number. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Jack Parkman

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

4 hours ago, aeichhor said:

 

 

Shorten the season back to 154 games or less then. Too much baseball in late October and November is not a good thing.

[ptatc]

1 hour ago, Moan4Yoan said:

It’s definitely about making more money.  No doubt.

All sports are businesses and are all about making more money. MLB is just behind the curve and exploiting fans for more playoff teams were they can charge even more money.

[ptatc]

1 hour ago, ron883 said:

Let's be real, MLB players are not going to want to live in Mexico City. That isn't going to happen. 

Probably true. But they treat they players like kings there and it's a great time for a single guy.

[BackDoorBreach]

Not a fan.  I don't like the fabled participation trophy stuff.  Picking your opppnent also seems goofy.

The way it is now is fine outside of the 1 game playoff.

[Southwest Sider]

4 hours ago, poppysox said:

Sure does minimize what it means to be a playoff team.

The current format minimizes what it is to be a regular season team. 

With playoff spots so hard to obtain, usually requiring excellent and lucky rebuilds to pull off, this is the strategy most teams must face in order to make it. More playoff spots will give teams far more incentive to compete every year rather than sucking for many years to eventually become elite. It's healthier for the game. 

Edited February 11, 2020 by South Sider

[flavum]

3 minutes ago, South Sider said:

The current format minimizes what it is to be a regular season team. 

With playoff spots so hard to obtain, usually requiring excellent and lucky rebuilds to pull off, this is the strategy most teams must face in order to make it. More playoff spots will give teams far more incentive to compete every year rather than sucking for many years to eventually become elite. It's healthier for the game. 

It will have more teams playing for the middle, which is basically the same impact as collusion without colluding. The MLBPA should reject this stupid idea. I have no problem with 10 out of 30 teams or 12 out of 32 making the postseason, but 14 out of 30? Go pound it, Manfred.

[Southwest Sider]

I guess I'm going to be the minority on this one. 

For every sub-500 team that would make the playoffs (and lose) in the new system, a 90+ win team under the current system misses their shot despite having a terrific year. 

To continue my argument that more teams would go for it under this new system, that would mean less overall rebuilds, which means less free wins for all other teams, including the super teams. Hypothetically, we would have yes, more middle of the pack teams, but less teams winning 100+. Sure, every couple of years some sub-500 team may sneak in but I don't find that to be as much as an embarrassment as having teams with 90 or more wins like the 2019 Indians or 2018 Rays denied a chance despite having good years, winning many more games than they lost. 
 

With that said, it's better for the fans, too. Playoff baseball is so much more interesting than regular season. The parks will be filled, and they will be boisterous. Every year, there will be more groups of fans happy that their team did well enough to have a chance and get to enjoy that excitement of playoff baseball instead of just the few elite and occasional lucky or hot run.

Anyways, I'd be happy as a lamb for the Sox to get a shot should they have a less-than-stellar, but still good season and sneak into the 6 or 7 spot with a chance to win it all. The 2006 White Sox had a pretty good year - not superb, but with that record they deserved a shot at defending that title. 

 

 

[Moan4Yoan]

 

[greg775]

If baseball allows teams to pick their opponents, that's fine. But it's pretty radical so they might as well implement a lotta other new rules as well.

If that breaks the ice, start new rules to speed up games. Got to have a clock on pitchers and make it a quick clock. Make them throw the ball in a timely (fast) manner. Also fix the strike zone and move it up over the belt which is an insult at the present time. Also have a 2 batter limit for each reliever. Also outlaw managers coming to the mound to talk to pitchers and limit the number of times catchers can walk even halfway to the mound. Speed up the fricking games.

Also let's say a game goes 4 hours which is common but ridiculous. Have each team be penalized somehow for this happening. Maybe put a run on the board for the opposing team in the next series. If the opposing team also went over 4 hours in a recent game, they give up a run as well.

My point it if baseball playoff team can pick an opponent, no other rule change is too radical. Oh yes and outlaw shifts somehow.

[bmags]

6 hours ago, South Sider said:

I guess I'm going to be the minority on this one. 

For every sub-500 team that would make the playoffs (and lose) in the new system, a 90+ win team under the current system misses their shot despite having a terrific year. 

To continue my argument that more teams would go for it under this new system, that would mean less overall rebuilds, which means less free wins for all other teams, including the super teams. Hypothetically, we would have yes, more middle of the pack teams, but less teams winning 100+. Sure, every couple of years some sub-500 team may sneak in but I don't find that to be as much as an embarrassment as having teams with 90 or more wins like the 2019 Indians or 2018 Rays denied a chance despite having good years, winning many more games than they lost. 
 

With that said, it's better for the fans, too. Playoff baseball is so much more interesting than regular season. The parks will be filled, and they will be boisterous. Every year, there will be more groups of fans happy that their team did well enough to have a chance and get to enjoy that excitement of playoff baseball instead of just the few elite and occasional lucky or hot run.

Anyways, I'd be happy as a lamb for the Sox to get a shot should they have a less-than-stellar, but still good season and sneak into the 6 or 7 spot with a chance to win it all. The 2006 White Sox had a pretty good year - not superb, but with that record they deserved a shot at defending that title. 

 

 

This was a great post.

[black jack]

Expand the roster to 30 players and eliminate off days.

Let's make this shit a real war of attrition!

[Chicago White Sox]

7 hours ago, Moan4Yoan said:

 

? ? ? 

[hogan873]

I like the idea of adding teams for the playoffs.  Too many teams are essentially eliminated by mid-summer, and with the increased number of teams that are doing extended rebuilds, that issue is magnified.  This could be a step in the right direction to discourage the long rebuilds and/or the teams that won't spend year in and year out.

However, the top seeds picking their opponent is just silly.  It should be seeding that determines who plays whom.

[flavum]

1 hour ago, black jack said:

Expand the roster to 30 players and eliminate off days.

Let's make this shit a real war of attrition!

I wouldn’t eliminate off days, but when they add two more teams, they could have each team play the other 15 teams 11 games for 165 total (balanced schedule/no interleague play/top 6 make the postseason), with every player only eligible to play 10 games against each team. So individually, every player would max out at 150 games. That would maintain the regular season inventory (actually increase it), plus give players mandatory rest. They could even give coaching staff members/trainers off days, or off series, and bring up minor leagues coaches from time-to-time.