MLB Pondering Another New Playoff Format

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Joel Sherman has the scoop: https://nypost.com/2020/02/10/mlb-plotting-playoff-expansion-with-reality-tv-twist/https://nypost.com/2020/02/10/mlb-plotting-playoff-expansion-with-reality-tv-twist/



I dunno how I feel about this but the case is there for TV drama and $$$$$ which is why (and when) they'd consider it.



Risks making the reg season a little too meaningless as I believe the '19 Mets make the playoffs (and are the choice of the best team required to make a choice) under this expansion format.

[Centerfield]

14 teams would make the playoffs. Why even bother with a regular season at that point.

[batmagadanleadoff]

And Susan Collins could host the playoff show so she can tell the voters that she's rooting for every team to win the World Series.

[kcmets]

Baseball on hockey skates.

[Ceetar]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Risks making the reg season a little too meaningless as I believe the '19 Mets make the playoffs (and are the choice of the best team required to make a choice) under this expansion format.

no one's voluntarily playing the 2019 Mets if they can pick the Diamondbacks or Brewers. The Diamondbacks are throwing like, an injured Greinke and then Merrill Kelly and Robbie Ray at you. Brewers got Brandon Woodruff and like..Zach Davies? yeah.







but MLB is due to sell a broadcast agreement starting in 2022, so..

[Lefty Specialist]

Dumbest. Idea. Ever.

[Edgy MD]

There is no added drama, generally, but rather drama robbed from the regular season.

[Gwreck]

Playoff expansion. DH expansion. Banning shifts. Putting runners on second base in extra innings.



Why do you hate baseball, Rob Manfred?

[Guest 41Forever]

=Gwreck post_id=31428 time=1581383472 user_id=56]
Playoff expansion. DH expansion. Banning shifts. Putting runners on second base in extra innings.



Why do you hate baseball, Rob Manfred?

[G-Fafif]

“I don't much care for baseball, but if they're adding four playoff teams and a gimmicky setup, where do I sign?” Yeah, sure.



Baseball for Baseball Fans 2020.

[bmfc1]

It lowers the bar for teams to strive for excellence and cheapens the importance of the long season.

https://twitter.com/craigcalcaterra/status/1227205636779364354https://twitter.com/craigcalcaterra/status/1227205636779364354

Edited February 11, 2020 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

=bmfc1 post_id=31454 time=1581414705 user_id=73]
It lowers the bar for teams to strive for excellence and cheapens the importance of the long season.

[Frayed Knot]

And I think we should probably consider Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer to be in the "Leaning No' category for now, at least until further clarification.



"No idea who made this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for releasing it, so I'll direct this to you, (commissioner) Rob Manfred, ...

Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. You're a joke.”

[Fman99]

I hate this proposed new postseason even more than I hate the DH, and that's saying something.

[seawolf17]

This is an exceptionally stupid idea.

[Benjamin Grimm]

You know what... I don't hate it as much as I should.



Fourteen out of thirty teams making the post season: Bad.



Having the first round be best-of-three instead of best-of-one: Good.



Choose your opponent: Interesting. There's no way I'd sit through a one-hour TV show to find out who the Mets playoff opponent will be. I'd sign up for some kind of text alert instead.



This would be more palatable if MLB expanded to more than 30 teams. Maybe 36? I know THAT has its own problems, but I'd be okay with 36 teams.

[MFS62]

I hate this proposed new postseason even more than I hate the DH, and that's saying something.

I dislike them equally, maybe this a tad bit less.

Where do we go to vote "no" on this idea?

Later

[Ceetar]

Not only a reality show Sunday night, but you get all sorts of analysis shows leading up to it debating about WHO should they pick? WFAN will be nonstop "should the Mets pick the Cubs or the Nationals" all day Friday, all weekend (because they'll clinch second best record Thursday night)



And then MOnday, a presumed offday will have the added matchup discussion with the added "See, this is why I would've picked the Cubs not the Nationals" second guessing.



A lot of this happening on the network that just so happened to have just given MLB a ton of money for broadcasting rights.





Nobody should be framing this as anything but "MLB figuring out ways to make a ton more money for owners"

[batmagadanleadoff]

Two first place finishes in 31 seasons and you think the Mets will be picking? That's even funnier than this moronic proposed format. They'll be pickees, not pickers, and that'll be thanks to the ridiculosity of MLB in now having eleventy three playoff teams.



Expanding playoffs that are a total, total crap shoot in the first place. Oh, my!

[Ceetar]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=31466 time=1581431878 user_id=68]
Two first place finishes in 31 seasons and you think the Mets will be picking? That's even funnier than this moronic proposed format. They'll be pickees, not pickers, and that'll be thanks to the ridiculosity of MLB in now having eleventy three playoff teams.



Expanding playoffs that are a total, total crap shoot in the first place. Oh, my!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Who is projecting the Mets as 2020 division winners?

[Ceetar]

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

[Benjamin Grimm]

I hope they're right!

[Ceetar]

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/nl_east.svg>



Washington has a few potentials above the Moves, but they've got a lot more going on down the backslope.



Worth noting that the Braves have been underprojected for a few years now, but it's also possible that the projections have now accounted for that.



Phillies clearly not very good, but they have lots of volatility and some out there 'if everything goes right' projections.



Miami is a city in Florida. They have some guys with baseball uniforms too.

[LWFS]

I mean, if you want to do this in ADDITION to a regular-season/pennant situation, like soccer leagues do with domestic cup competitions, then, sure.



Otherwise, nnnnnnnope.

[Benjamin Grimm]

In 2019 in the National League, the Dodgers would have gotten the first-round bye.



The Braves would then have been able to choose their opponent from among the Nationals, Brewers, Mets, and Diamondbacks.



The Cardinals would have had their choice from among the three teams that the Braves passed on.



And the two remaining teams would have played each other.

[Edgy MD]

I'd like to choose Rob Manfred as my opponent.

[Centerfield]

If the players have any sense, they will realize this is a fairly transparent attempt to drive down salaries. No one will feel the need to create a 100 win team anymore. This is garbage.

[Frayed Knot]

https://nypost.com/2020/02/11/mlbs-playoff-expansion-plan-is-preposterous/Mike Vaccaro, American Hero

[Guest 41Forever]

Frayed Knot wrote: https://nypost.com/2020/02/11/mlbs-playoff-expansion-plan-is-preposterous/Mike Vaccaro, American Hero

Joel Sherman, not so much.



https://nypost.com/2020/02/11/the-purist-argument-doesnt-make-sense-in-mlb-playoff-expansion-debate/https://nypost.com/2020/02/11/the-purist-argument-doesnt-make-sense-in-mlb-playoff-expansion-debate/



I still think the best thing would be to somehow stop teams from tanking. Not sure how to do it. I know Centerfield had some ideas. And there have always been suck teams. But I don't see anything in this plan that would address that.



Now, it might be a bait and switch. Accepting something awful like the universal DH doesn't seem as bad when you consider this crap.. Three-batter minimum? But compared to gutting the minor leagues it's peachy.