At the heart of MLB and MLBPA negotiations is the number of teams in the playoffs. Players want 12 clubs in order to force teams to spend in the off-season and owners want 14 teams in order to earn more income.
Obviously, the bosses would have agreed to let the players have only 12 teams, but the MLBPA could agree to go up to 14 clubs against other advantages. So we don’t know what to expect.
Players open to 14-team series (at the right price)
The goal? Use 14-team playoffs to earn luxury tax benefits.
For my part, I want to keep the 12-club format to keep a certain “prestige” to enter the playoffs.
After all, when there are too many clubs, ordinary teams sneak into the playoffs.
The 2020 example is the ultimate example. With eight clubs per league in the fall dance, it was obviously too much for a normal frame, but it shows why the playoffs should not be overloaded.
The Astros (sixth due to the two-team-per-division rule) and Brewers both went under .500 by virtue of their 29 wins but still made the playoffs.
The 2020 MLB playoff bracket is set‼️
RT if your team made the postseason: pic.twitter.com/po2ZZrMpZ0
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 27, 2020
In 2021, with five clubs per league, no team has come close to the .500 mark.
The “worst teams” were the Yankees (92 wins) and the Cardinals (90 wins), which is nowhere near .500.
THE 2021 MLB PLAYOFFS ARE SET 😤 pic.twitter.com/TkkpY33yud
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 3, 2021
To six teams? The Blue Jays (91 wins) and Reds (83 wins) would also have made the playoffs. OK for Toronto, but even in Cincinnati, we are not talking about a power.
And at seven clubs? The Mariners (90 wins) and Phillies (82 wins) would have been in the October dance.
Eight teams, for those interested? The A’s (86 wins) and the Padres (79 wins, under .500) would have been there. But that, we all know that it’s top clubs in the playoffs.
In the American in 2021, the caliber was there. But in the National, to see the Phillies (two games away from .500) in the playoffs would have been hard to accept. The club had the worst bullpen in the league and racked up big-moment losing streaks.
Seven clubs in the playoffs is too many. I want to see series with only six teams per league, so 12 in total.
If MLB goes up to 32 teams, we will adjust the plan. But 12/30, or 40% of the teams that do the retail, is a ratio that suits me.
