New MLB Postseason plans are confusing to many – check for yourself!
This after the MLB is reportedly mulling significant changes to its postseason—including increasing the number of teams from 10 to 14 and adding a reality-TV-type format to determine what teams play each other in an expanded wild-card round.
If the change is made, each league would have three division winners and four wild-card teams make the postseason with the best team in the league receiving a bye into the division series. The two remaining division winners and the wild-card team with the best record of the four would each host all games of a best-of-three series of the opening round.
Once the teams clinch, and the regular season ends, the plan gets congested:
- The division winner with the second-best record would select its wild-card opponent from the three wild-card winners with the worst records of the four.
- The team with the worst record of the three division winners would pick its opponent from the remaining two wild-card teams.
- The final matchup would pit the wild-card winner with the best record against the wild-card team not chosen.
Of course, the selections would be unveiled live on television the Sunday night of the final regular-season games making for another TV ratings grab.