LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 06: Fan cutouts are seen in the stands with #Postseason signage in Game Two of the American League Division Series between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on October 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
MLB may have a new playoff rule that has been included in ESPN’s new deal with the league.
MLB has been experimenting with plenty of new rules and perhaps the most drastic was the expanded 2020 postseason. But that was more a result of the shortened season than anything else.
The playoffs are back to their normal, 10-team format in 2021. However, a recent rights deal with ESPN may have revealed yet another change that could take place soon.
MLB could be shaking up the Wild Card
So it appears MLB is planning to turn the do-or-die Wild Card round into a best-of-three series. This is not a drastic change, but it remains a notable one regardless.
The current Wild Card format began in 2012 and replaced a system where only one Wild Card team made the postseason. The one-game playoff added plenty of drama and there have already been a few legendary matchups in the win or go home event.
Making it a best-of-three series allows the league to make some more money and potentially make teams happy by not making a 162-game marathon come down to one game. Purists may complain, but this would make sense given the fact certain divisions could have several teams winning 90 or more games.
Nothing is official yet and MLB still needs to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the players. However, it appears this would be one of the less controversial things that would need to be negotiated. The players should be all about making some extra cash and fans ultimately get more October baseball.