MLB 2025 Season

Cliffy6745

I think baseball is addressing the wrong concern.  Teams are actively not trying to win, which is why people are staying away.

Again, no one is going to have a problem if Phillies games are 15 minutes longer this year, are they?

Jearlpam0925

Biggest issue is going to be when they expand to 32 teams are they also going to expand the playoffs?

I don't think adding two more teams to the playoffs makes any practical sense. But I definitely want the LDS to be seven games and I can go either way on the Wildcard being a three-game series or a one-game play-in.

tempo_n_groove

Jearlpam0925 said:

Biggest issue is going to be when they expand to 32 teams are they also going to expand the playoffs?

I don't think adding two more teams to the playoffs makes any practical sense. But I definitely want the LDS to be seven games and I can go either way on the Wildcard being a three-game series or a one-game play-in.

With the long season and then a possible expanding playoffs you would see a lot more of the pitcher for 2 innings thing.

HesCalledDyer

I'd like the Wild Card to be a 3 game series.  It makes no sense to me that regular season series are 3 games but then a playoff series, which is more meaningful, is only 1 game.  Team with the better record gets all 3 games at home, but bats first in game 2.

Jearlpam0925

HesCalledDyer said:

I'd like the Wild Card to be a 3 game series.  It makes no sense to me that regular season series are 3 games but then a playoff series, which is more meaningful, is only 1 game.  Team with the better record gets all 3 games at home, but bats first in game 2.

My thinking was the WC team with the better record can choose whether they want the first two or last two games at home.

I buy the argument, but I also wouldn't mind if it stays at one game. My view is that If you don't want to play in that game then win your division, and the other "plus" of it is  I'm sure the league loves guaranteeing essentially two Game 7's every year.

My thing is I don't know how you can go to six teams in each league making the playoffs. I think they'd definitely go to eight divisions since it would keep more eyeballs interested in the league as a whole. Byes don't work in baseball and I don't know another format that would work. Unless they were to do away with divisions and just take the top-five teams in each league? That probably doesn't work either.

tempo_n_groove

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I'd like the Wild Card to be a 3 game series.  It makes no sense to me that regular season series are 3 games but then a playoff series, which is more meaningful, is only 1 game.  Team with the better record gets all 3 games at home, but bats first in game 2.

My thinking was the WC team with the better record can choose whether they want the first two or last two games at home.

I buy the argument, but I also wouldn't mind if it stays at one game. My view is that If you don't want to play in that game then win your division, and the other "plus" of it is  I'm sure the league loves guaranteeing essentially two Game 7's every year.

My thing is I don't know how you can go to six teams in each league making the playoffs. I think they'd definitely go to eight divisions since it would keep more eyeballs interested in the league as a whole. Byes don't work in baseball and I don't know another format that would work. Unless they were to do away with divisions and just take the top-five teams in each league? That probably doesn't work either.

8 divisions might make teams try harder and actually compete.

That would be interesting.

Jearlpam0925

tempo_n_groove said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I'd like the Wild Card to be a 3 game series.  It makes no sense to me that regular season series are 3 games but then a playoff series, which is more meaningful, is only 1 game.  Team with the better record gets all 3 games at home, but bats first in game 2.

My thinking was the WC team with the better record can choose whether they want the first two or last two games at home.

I buy the argument, but I also wouldn't mind if it stays at one game. My view is that If you don't want to play in that game then win your division, and the other "plus" of it is  I'm sure the league loves guaranteeing essentially two Game 7's every year.

My thing is I don't know how you can go to six teams in each league making the playoffs. I think they'd definitely go to eight divisions since it would keep more eyeballs interested in the league as a whole. Byes don't work in baseball and I don't know another format that would work. Unless they were to do away with divisions and just take the top-five teams in each league? That probably doesn't work either.

8 divisions might make teams try harder and actually compete.

That would be interesting.

It would, or at least I think so, plus the league would love it. But again I don't know what the answer for playoff format would be. Does the division winner with the worst record play the wildcard team?

Poncier

tempo_n_groove said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

Biggest issue is going to be when they expand to 32 teams are they also going to expand the playoffs?

I don't think adding two more teams to the playoffs makes any practical sense. But I definitely want the LDS to be seven games and I can go either way on the Wildcard being a three-game series or a one-game play-in.

With the long season and then a possible expanding playoffs you would see a lot more of the pitcher for 2 innings thing.

They'd have to cut the season back to 154 games if they expanded playoffs. Otherwise we'd get into November every year.

tempo_n_groove

Poncier said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

Biggest issue is going to be when they expand to 32 teams are they also going to expand the playoffs?

I don't think adding two more teams to the playoffs makes any practical sense. But I definitely want the LDS to be seven games and I can go either way on the Wildcard being a three-game series or a one-game play-in.

With the long season and then a possible expanding playoffs you would see a lot more of the pitcher for 2 innings thing.

They'd have to cut the season back to 154 games if they expanded playoffs. Otherwise we'd get into November every year.

With the revenue sharing that goes on do you think all the owners would agree to that?                 

HesCalledDyer

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I'd like the Wild Card to be a 3 game series.  It makes no sense to me that regular season series are 3 games but then a playoff series, which is more meaningful, is only 1 game.  Team with the better record gets all 3 games at home, but bats first in game 2.

My thinking was the WC team with the better record can choose whether they want the first two or last two games at home.

I buy the argument, but I also wouldn't mind if it stays at one game. My view is that If you don't want to play in that game then win your division, and the other "plus" of it is  I'm sure the league loves guaranteeing essentially two Game 7's every year.

My thing is I don't know how you can go to six teams in each league making the playoffs. I think they'd definitely go to eight divisions since it would keep more eyeballs interested in the league as a whole. Byes don't work in baseball and I don't know another format that would work. Unless they were to do away with divisions and just take the top-five teams in each league? That probably doesn't work either.

The problem (er, well, my problem) with a 1-2 or 2-1 format is that you are asking the better team to play one of the two most decisive games on the road.  My thought process is the better team should have both games 1 & 3 at home.  The only way to do that and give the lower team an actual home game is to go 1-1-1.  With travel days, that stretches the WC to an almost week long affair.  Give the road team a home at-bat in game 2 to make it semi-fair, but play all games at the home team's stadium. The series is over in at most 3 days

6 teams could work if you reduced divisions to 2 in each league. Division Champs get automatic trip to the Division Series. The 4 Wild Cards would face off as 3v6 and 4v5.  You could also increase divisions to 4, but I don't like the idea of 2 Division Champs playing in WC games like the NFL does.

What I definitely don't want to see is 8 teams in the playoffs in each league.  I think it diminishes the value of the playoffs when more than half the league gets in, like basketball and hockey. (Expanding the league to 32 doesn't solve this, as exactly half still goes to the playoffs). It does, on the other hand, address declining attendance.  More teams in contention = more reason to go watch said teams instead of sitting at home in September when they'd usually be out of it.

I also think the regular season needs to be shortened to 154 (or - dare I even say it - 148).

Jearlpam0925

I could get down with that possibly. More than anything I want to see the divisional series be seven games.

Right, but that 6-team format essentially involves a bye then, which I don't think should be involved. Baseball just doesn't work with byes.

I wouldn't rule out the season being shortened if it meant expanding, and extending, the playoffs.

DewieCox

We don’t need a best of 7 division round. Make it quick and painless to get down to the last four then stretch it out. Postseason already lasts a month. 

Jearlpam0925

5 game series are garbage when there is little reward for being a 100-game winner in your league. And it still wouldn't extend the playoffs beyond a month. 

I'd rather add two games to the LDS than add two games to the wildcard series.

Cliffy6745

Jearlpam0925 said:

5 game series are garbage when there is little reward for being a 100-game winner in your league. And it still wouldn't extend the playoffs beyond a month. 

I'd rather add two games to the LDS than add two games to the wildcard series.

No way.  If the goal is to find out who the better team is in each round, then no, 3 games in the wildcard is much more valuable than an additional 2 in the LDS.  Wildcard has to be 3.

Jearlpam0925

Cliffy6745 said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

5 game series are garbage when there is little reward for being a 100-game winner in your league. And it still wouldn't extend the playoffs beyond a month. 

I'd rather add two games to the LDS than add two games to the wildcard series.

No way.  If the goal is to find out who the better team is in each round, then no, 3 games in the wildcard is much more valuable than an additional 2 in the LDS.  Wildcard has to be 3.

I wouldn't even call the wildcard portion a "round". You're playing to get in to the playoffs.

Again, there's basically no value/benefit for being the best team in your league. You get one extra home game, that's it. Inferior teams can win a five-game series easily. If your goal is to find out who is the better team then you play a seven game series each round.  It bothers me when someone says "oh, Team X won 85 and has no shot in the playoffs", or some variation of that. Cause it's BS. If you can get into the playoffs in baseball you are by no means a longshot, especially within a five game series.

Whatever gimmicky, hokey shit they wanna do with the wildcard round to draw more fans I'm fine with.

HesCalledDyer

Except the Wild Card IS the playoffs. Otherwise it would count in the regular season standings.

Jearlpam0925

HesCalledDyer said:

Except the Wild Card IS the playoffs. Otherwise it would count in the regular season standings.

Blah. Gimmick.

HesCalledDyer

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

Except the Wild Card IS the playoffs. Otherwise it would count in the regular season standings.

Blah. Gimmick.

Except it's not.

tempo_n_groove

HesCalledDyer said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

Except the Wild Card IS the playoffs. Otherwise it would count in the regular season standings.

Blah. Gimmick.

Except it's not.

It is, but teams know it's their only shot into the playoffs so they throw everything but the kitchen sink to advance and throws off their rhythm for the the next round of playoffs when they get in.

I think the Royals are the only team with the current format to advance to the WS.

Ledbetterman10

HesCalledDyer said:

Jearlpam0925 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

Except the Wild Card IS the playoffs. Otherwise it would count in the regular season standings.

Blah. Gimmick.

Except it's not.

Yeah I count these wildcard games like it's game 163...sorta like the Bucky Dent game in 1978. If you are a wildcard and lose that play-in game, can you really call yourself a playoff team?