According to Jon Heyman, MLB and the players union are currently re-opening discussions on expanding the Playoffs for this season. The plan would be for the playoffs to expand from ten to 16 teams.
Sources: MLB and union are re-engaging on the possibility of expanded playoffs for this season. Has to be done before first pitch 25 hours from now, but there seems to be optimism. Hope was to go from 10 playoff teams to 16.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 22, 2020
Obviously, this decision will have to be made very quickly if expansion is to happen. The New York Yankees open at the Washington Nationals tomorrow night. So, this means that, less than 24 hours from now, every team fanbase will know if their team has a better shot at postseason play.
2019 Playoffs
Last season, ten total teams made the MLB playoffs. If the postseason had been expanded last year, the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers would have qualified on the American League side. Also, the New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs would have qualified on the National League side. Interestingly, that is an extra team from each division in each League added to an already exciting playoffs.
In this scenario, division rivalries would only grow stronger and more competitive. As seen in recent years, if a team is able to get in to the playoffs, they have a shot at winning the World Series. Aside from skipping the Wild Card Game, being a division champion holds little weight as the championship tournament continues.
Wild Card Success
Since the introduction of the wild card format in 1995, seven teams have won the World Series as a wild card entrant. The Miami Marlins, at the time Florida Marlins, were the first to do so when they won the title in 1997. In fact, from 2002-2004, all three World Series winners were wild card teams. The Los Angeles Angels, then Anaheim, won in 2002, the Marlins again in 2003 and the Red Sox in 2004. The St. Louis Cardinals won in 2011 and the San Francisco Giants winners in 2014. And, just last season, the Washington Nationals hoisted the trophy as a wild card entry.
2020 Season
With only an abbreviated 60-game season, an expanded playoffs will have teams scrambling to get in to the tournament. There will be plenty of teams still in the hunt up until the last game of the season. Fans could be treated to an interesting August 31st trade deadline if the expansion deal is to be approved.
Some will say that an expansion will water down the exclusivity of the MLB playoffs. But, with such a short season at hand, who would complain about seeing their favorite teams play just a bit more? Not only play, but also have a shot at winning a World Series title? We should all consider ourselves lucky to see as much baseball as possible and to see owners and players agreeing to additional playoff teams, if that becomes the case.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
