Case Against and For Expanded MLB Playoffs

Mike Carp did some damage to the
struggling Tampa Bay Rays. 

Last year, Major League Baseball changed their rules to a five-team playoffs allowing an extra team in for a one-game playoff. It created a great deal of discussion about what might be next for baseball. In my opinion, I could see baseball shortening the season by a week and then having the fourth and fifth team play a three-game series versus one single game. They say this would cause some damage, but a one-game playoff does nothing for me personally.  I doubt they will expand to six teams or heaven forbid eight teams.

The one people should probably expect is baseball is as Taylor Swift might say never ever getting back together with the four-team playoff model. Although if the playoffs were pre-2012, the National League would be must-see every night. But the American League shows why five teams is the better decision in the long run.  

The National League would be awesome in the next couple weeks if they were only four teams allowed in because right now, it is a five-team race with five playoff sports. I highly doubt the Washington Nationals can catch the fifth spot, but then again, weird shit happens in baseball all the time.  There would be storylines about what if the Pittsburgh Pirates do not get in after having their best season since 1992 or could the other two NL Central teams outlast the St. Louis Cardinals having the Cards miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Would it be unfair to one of these teams?   Yes but only if it is St. Louis or Pittsburgh missing out.  Cincinnati has sort just been there the whole year. They are like the person who ends up at the party yet you have absolutely no idea how they got there. We all know that guy or girl. Unless one of these teams pull a Boston or a New York Mets in following couple weeks,  the National League playoffs are all but set just need to place the teams. These two weeks will still be fine in the NL because there is some intrigue to see where these squads finish, but it would have been awesome to see what happened when the pressure would have been truly on.

The American League is a completely other story.  While the AL East and AL Central are probably locked up by Boston and Detroit, the rest of the league is still as open as a field in Idaho.  Texas is the Wild Card, but they are only three games back from Oakland for the AL West. The second Wild Card is truly unpredictable and makes its case for why baseball needs the fifth Wild Card position.  As of this morning, four teams are within three games of the second Wild Card position. The Tampa Rays are clutching on the lead, but they have lost seven of their last 10 games trending water right now at the worst time. New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals are vying for the final position making for an absolutely thrilling final couple of weeks.

The other great thing about the American League race right now is it is not a guarantee Texas will make the playoffs either as the first Wild Card. They are only 2.5 games ahead of Tampa meaning most of the teams mentioned above have a chance at overtaking both Wild Cards with a hot run in the final two weeks of the season. It is likely inevitable some team whether in the playoffs or not will shit the bed and will be the talk of the baseball world.

If you are a purist, and wish baseball still had a four-team playoff, maybe pretend the National League still allows four teams. But if you want to have some fun, watch American League baseball in the coming weeks because it is setting up for some fantastic theater.

Charlie.