Why Expanded Playoffs in the MLB Would Be a Total Disaster

 Expanded playoffs has been a very big debate for the MLB in recent history. It is especially a big deal with the huge lockout in the MLB right now. This topic is going to be heavily talked about as the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) and the league itself try to come up with a Collective Bargaining Agreement before the 2022 MLB season begins. Expanded playoffs are likely to be in that agreement if/when they come to an agreement. This would be a really bad idea. Here is why:

    You may be saying to yourself that this is a great idea, as it gives teams more opportunities. Although I may agree with this reasoning, there are definitely negatives to this. Take 2020 as an example. As someone who watched minimal baseball in 2020, I was fine with the expanded playoff form since that season was essentially an “experimental year,” where rules that we would not typically see in a normal season were implemented. The playoff format had the top two teams in the division make the playoffs, with an additional two wild card teams. 

Sounds like a good plan, right? Wrong! The playoff style of the 2020 season was so bad, that two teams below .500 made the playoffs. In my opinion, teams who are .500 in the MLB should not be in the postseason. If you implemented the same playoff style into the 2021 season, then the 80-82 (then) Cleveland Indians would be in the postseason. And to say the very least, they did not deserve playoff action a single bit. Even worse, the 79-83 San Diego Padres would make the postseason. 

Every major problem has two sides to it. It happens to be the case with expanded playoffs as well. This past season, the Toronto Blue Jays had a record of 91-71, and missed the playoffs, because they came in 4th place in the American League East. But there is yet another problem with this. The Los Angeles Dodgers had a record of 106-56, but came in 2nd place to the 107-55 San Francisco Giants in the National League West. They had to settle and play a wild card game, which they barely won. In this case, you could argue that expanded playoffs would be better.

Remember when I mentioned that two teams below .500 made the playoffs in 2020? That is the exact risk you run when you include more teams in the playoffs. I would much rather the current wild card scenario than the one that was used in 2020. On the other hand, if you include sub .500 teams in the playoffs, it is very likely they cannot compete against the better teams. The postseason is supposed to be for determining who is the best team, not for teams with little business making the playoffs. 

It is unclear how the MLB would implement expanded playoffs, but current trends say the league is proposing a 14-team style playoff. But the proposals still are going to be disastrous. All you do is run the risk of having teams who really have no business of making the playoffs make the playoffs. Expanded playoffs does not fix the problem the Dodgers ran into, and even worse, makes it so they have a less likely chance to win it all, as they have to play more teams then they would have if the normal format was kept. 

Expanded playoffs would make it so if you add more teams, it just devalues winning the division. Winning the division in my mind states that you earned a spot in the postseason and you are in contention to win it all. Adding more teams (and even worse, adding whoever comes in 2nd place) just seems like coming in 1st place is not really accomplishing. 

As much as I do not want to say this, we are most likely bound to have 14 teams in the playoffs in the 2022 season. This is clearly a move just for the money, and just that. We are also bound to have FOUR teams from the AL East make the playoffs if this is the case. Not to mention, the playoffs will not be as exciting as the 2021 playoffs, where every series was competitive. And this is the type of playoff atmosphere everyone wants. Expanded playoffs would ruin this atmosphere, and would for the years to come. 


   

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