MLB Playoff Format: 10 Playoff Teams Waters Down and Devalues Regular Season

Earlier today Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the expanded playoff format for Major League Baseball is a go.

So now, instead of having eight playoff teams, there will be 10.

This makes for an extremely exciting October. More markets will be excited for the chance to make the playoffs. In a wide open National League, we will undoubtedly see a new playoff team this season.

This is also good news for teams in the AL East like the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, who haven't made the playoffs in years because the division has been dominated by the likes of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and now the Tampa Bay Rays.

However, what the expanded playoff format does is lesson the importance of the regular season. If we thought an afternoon game in May didn't mean anything before, now it seems less relevant than an All-Star Game.

This is because a third of Major League Baseball will be playing in the postseason. There is less urgency to do well in the regular season because you can have the fifth best record in your league and pretty much make the playoffs. 

Before the wild-card era, the regular season mattered. Only two teams made it to the playoffs from each league. This meant that each game was crucial. A small losing streak and the season's progress could be permanently perturbed.

Now a team could literally go through a September collapse much like the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox went through, and still make the playoffs. Under the new rules, the Braves and Red Sox would've been playing in October this season and we wouldn't have that historic night on the last day of the regular season this year.

One positive result from the new system is that there is more value in winning the division. Division champions essentially get a bye round and can rest their players before the LDS. This means we might get some nice races for the division championship towards the end of the season.

The teams that have the best record in their respective league will also have a huge advantage because they'll likely be playing against the wild-card team that just won a pressure-packed game with their ace on the mound. 

There is no doubt that the playoffs become more interesting with the new format.

But as a result, the regular season becomes a long marathon and a waste. 

MLB would be smart to shorten the regular season from 162 games to about 100. The season is long enough to begin with. At a 100 games, it becomes more tolerable.

First of all, nobody has time these days to sit and watch 162 regular-season games. It's a slow game and people have things to do with their life.

Secondly, with fewer games, there will be more urgency in the regular season. A loss will matter more. Why is the NFL and college football so popular? Because a loss in either sport is highly detrimental to a team's chances to make the playoffs or a major bowl game. 

It'll also create more pressure-packed moments in the regular season.

There is nothing wrong with expanding the playoffs. Selig can expand it to 16 games for all I care.

But playoff expansion should be paralleled with the shortening of the regular season. 

It may seem like that the owners will never agree to it because there's too much money involved in cutting the regular season. They'll be losing home games and asking to cut player salaries since they'll be working less. Players won't be happy about that at all. 

That being said, owners will be able to charge a premium on regular-season games because there are fewer of them to offer. Simple economics: as quantity supplied decreases, price increases. Also, for players, fewer games means less injuries, so the MLBPA would probably like that.

Fewer injuries is also a win for the fans. Nobody wants to see AAA players in the Majors. We want the stars of the league to stay healthy and continue playing.

One may argue that the shorter season will taint the stats of the sport, but stats were already tainted after the steroid era so it's not like the league is really missing out. It's also important to realize that the league is a business, and by shortening the season, MLB is addressing its business concerns and simultaneously putting out a better product for the fans. 

Finally, a 100-game season means that MLB could start the season in May and end it in August. That way there are fewer rain delays and postponements and we won't be playing World Series baseball during a blizzard in November.