Sep 30, 2020; Oakland, California, USA; Postseason signage before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Chicago White Sox at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly considering expanding the postseason in collective bargaining agreement negotiations this offseason.
If the negotiations between MLB and the Players Association on the 2020 truncated season proved anything, it’s that the collective bargaining agreement talks this offseason are going to be tense. With months before the end of the season, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly already has its eyes set on one rule change to include in the next CBA.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, MLB may look to expand the postseason field to 14 teams in the next collective bargaining negotiations.
MLB considering expanding to 14-team postseason in CBA negotiations
It is unknown how exactly the new postseason would look like, but this is not the first time the league did so.
After the number of playoff teams was increased to 16 in the 60-game season last year, the league attempted to expand it again in some form for 2021. However, the league and the players union could not reach an agreement prior to this campaign. That allowed the postseason to return to 10 teams, which included the three division winners and two Wild Card teams in both the American and National Leagues.
Expanding the number of postseason teams is not the answer. It would render the postseason meaningless. If Manfred really wants to improve the format, he would eliminate the single-game knockout in the Wild Card round and replace it with a best-of-three series. That was utilized in the opening round of last year’s postseason, and it worked to perfection.
It is too early to tell if this will come to fruition, especially if the utilization of the universal designated hitter is not included in the new CBA.