Via Ken Rosenthal, Major League Baseball and the MLBPA have agreed on a plan to expand the postseason to 10 teams this season. An announcement will be forthcoming tomorrow. This isn’t anything we didn’t already know was coming, but there was some question whether this year or next year would be the first season the new format was in play. With five teams (the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Rangers, and Angels) figuring to be solid wild card contenders if they don’t win their divisions, the new rules figure to make for a pretty fun stretch run heading into the ALDS. At least one of those teams will find themselves left out of the playoffs altogether, and two of them will probably square off in a one game wild card playoff. How does Jered Weaver vs. David Price in a one-game playoff (with the Red Sox the team missing out entirely, naturally) sound?
This should be fun. I mean you have 6 super teams in the AL and 5 make the postseason is great. Unfortunately, I think it is going to be muddled mediocrity to a degree in the NL, though if Posey is healthy, Giants, Dbacks, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals and Braves will make a fun postseason in the senior league to a lesser degree. The Central I think has to go to Detroit and Cincy at this point.
St. Louis should still be fine as well. In a way, the N.L. could be just as fun, though of a different kind. Realistically there are some 10-11 teams that could be in contention for the wild cards there, and all three division races could be close at the top.
All I know about this decision is that it gets the Yankees into the playoffs this year. If you really look at the AL rosters and try to take an objective view of the Yankees team, there was no guarantee they would beat the Rays for the division and the runner up of the AL west was probably going to win the wild card. Now we don't have to worry so much about it.
I'm assuming that the wild cards will play a one game playoff at season's end, and if so, that's a game you don't want your favorite team to have to play.
The biggest positive out of all this is that it makes winning the division a high priority. Next step would be to have the wild card team play four of the five games on the road in the first round. Although I guess the play-in game would be enough of a disadvantage.
When you think about it, IF the yankees were to wind up in the "wild card spot," be grateful they even have a shot at the playoffs. Sure, one might say "Back in 2011, they wouldn't be playing a single-game elimination with a team that was X games back of them for the WC. They'd be going to the ALDS for a best-of-five instead with their #1 starter ready to go for Game 1.
Fair enough. But go back to 1993. There was no WC that year. The Yankees missed the playoffs and had the 3rd best record in the AL. I bet the 1993 Yankees would have loved a one-game WC play-in.
I hate this idea. Not for some dumb reason like its impure or something. It's just useless and adds more rounds for no reason (or to make money, stupid).
It adds two games. That's….horrible?