The MLB playoffs are well underway and there has already been drama brewing. Three of the top four teams have been eliminated early on, leaving fans with questions.
I believe the cause of top teams being eliminated is the playoff format and I’m going to explain why.
The Atlanta Braves had the best record in the regular season with 104 wins and 58 losses.
The Baltimore Orioles had a breakout season, finishing with 101 wins and 61 losses.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had a typical Dodger season, finishing with 100 wins and 62 losses.
These three teams have something in common other than having 100-plus wins in the regular season. They were eliminated in the Divisional Series without putting up a serious fight.
Their combined record in the Divisional Series was one win and nine losses.
The reason might be how the playoffs are formatted, leaving them with a big disadvantage.
The MLB changed the playoff format in 2022, adding two additional teams in contention. A third wildcard team has been added in the American and National Leagues.
The other big change was the top two division winners in each league received a bye in the wildcard round. The third division leader would host the third wildcard team in the wildcard series.
The problem with this playoff format is the top teams are sitting idle for a week, while the wildcard teams that move on to the next round are in game form.
The lower-ranked teams should not have that much of an advantage over the teams that finished better than them in the regular season.
Looking at it from the other side of the coin, teams get first-round byes when they don’t necessarily need them.
The Braves clinched the National League East division on Sept.13, leaving them with four weeks to prepare for the postseason.
The Dodgers clinched the National League West division on Sept.16 with three weeks to prepare for the postseason.
Teams who clinch early can prepare for the postseason by resting their star players occasionally and figuring out the playoff roster.
They can rest players but choose not to because player stats are more important than resting for postseason baseball.
The MLB season is 162 games long, at times playing 30 games in 31 days. Players are used to playing consecutive games, so do they need a bye when they are ready to play?
The mentality of athletes is wanting to be on the field and not be sitting on the sidelines while other teams fight it out.
Teams have five months in the offseason to rest, they don’t need to rest while the postseason is nearby.
I believe it is the opposite, players should ramp up their intensity and sharpness as the postseason occurs.
The playoff format that I propose is once teams make the playoffs, they eliminate the American and National League. Teams will be seeded one through 12.
This will consist of the three division winners in each league and the three wildcard teams from each league. The team with the best record playing the team with the worst record.
The top seeded team plays the 12th seed, the second seed plays the 11th seed, the third seed plays the 10th seed, the fourth seed plays the ninth seed, the fifth seed plays the eighth seed, and the sixth seed plays the seventh seed in the first round.
This format eliminates byes, so every team plays in the first round, and allows teams to play different opponents each time. Instead of playing teams in the same league, they get to play teams in the other league, creating new rivals and something different for the fans to watch.
The playoffs are still electric, filled with drama, and iconic moments. I will continue watching them every year. However, it would be nice to see something different for a change.