The New CBA — Expanded Playoffs (Part 2)
The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (PA) expires on December 1st. The new CBA will be a hot topic this offseason. Negotiations could delay the 2022 season and potentially cause a lockout or strike. We will look at a number of changes you might see in the next CBA.
Previously, I wrote about why expanded playoffs would be a hot topic in the upcoming CBA. Money is the obvious answer. If we can agree that both the players and teams like more money, we just need to figure out what that format might look like.
The 16-team format from the 2020 postseason added the possibility of 22 extra first round games relative to the standard Wild Card format. Rather than 2 one-and-done play in-games, there were eight 3-game series. 16 teams makes for a pleasantly uniform bracket. It also made the league and players substantially more money than the normal format. However, there are two main issues with the 16-team format.
The first problem is that teams with losing records will inevitably make the playoffs. This diminishes the importance of the regular season. In the 2017 season, a 16-team field would have seen four teams with losing records make the playoffs, including the 77–85 Miami Marlins.
The second issue is the teams with the best records would have to face off in a short 3-game series. The teams that win their division or have the best record are generally awarded byes to give them a slight advantage for being elite during the regular season. Again, the 16-team format reduces the importance of the regular season.
The best solution is likely a 12-team field. Rather than eight 3-game series in the first round, there would only be 4, with the two teams in each division with the best record getting first round byes. The format of these first 3 games could be similar to the 2020 season where they are all played in the top seeds park on consecutive days. This would keep the playoffs shorter.
This format creates a cascade of incentives for the regular season. First, the rest given to the top seeds is a substantial advantage as they are able to line up their starting rotation. For the four top wild card seeds, getting home field advantage for all three games is a big incentive to keep playing hard late into the season.
Overall, this format creates more revenue and more engagement while incentivizing competitive play late into the regular season.
