Will MLB Ever Adopt a 16-Team Playoff?

Should Major League Baseball adopt a 16-team playoff at some point in the future?

Don't get all up in arms about it, it's a valid question.

Baseball's popularity is regaining strength in the wake of the steroid-era. Steroids have not gone away from baseball yet, but they are becoming more accepted by fans.

Don't believe me? Just look at the standing ovation Manny Ramirez got in his return from a 50-game suspension.

Baseball could capitalize on the renewed interest in their league and experience a type of growth that could leave the MLB as the undisputed No. 2 league in all the land behind the NFL.

There is great opportunity in adopting a 16-team playoff. The NBA and NHL both allow 16 teams in their postseason. The NFL allows 12.

Baseball? Just eight.

Like virtually any situation though, there are pros and cons to the debate. So let's take a look.

Pros

More teams in the postseason means more money. I bring this up because money is almost always the driving factor in these types of situations.

Instead of eight arenas bringing in box office revenue, concession profits, and merchandise sales, that final number will effectively double. Imagine that.

Theoretically, more teams increases fan interest. With eight teams you have the fans of eight teams watching the games, and talking it up at the office and to friends.

With 16 teams you don't just double that number, you effectively triple it, because 24 teams will have a legitimate shot at the playoffs as late as August.

If you want a great example of how the fan benefits immensely from a 16-team playoff, let's look at the Toronto Blue Jays.

When only four teams in the American League make the playoffs (three division leaders and one wild card) more often than not it ends up being some combination of Boston and New York. Both are big market teams that will always be able to outspend Toronto.

In a playoff series, the Blue Jays could be capable of an upset over either team, but haven't even made the playoffs since 1994...despite having solid talent in at least eight of those seasons.

In fact, the last time Toronto made the playoffs in 1992 and 1993, they won the World Series both years.

In a 16-team playoff, the Blue Jays would be a playoff team in those eight seasons and have the opportunity to upset their divisional rivals.

16 teams also results in more star power. As in any sport, playoffs are where stars are truly born.

With only eight teams, Roy Halladay, Jake Peavy, Tim Lincecum, Prince Fielder, Hanley Ramirez, Grady Sizemore, Lance Berkman, and other big names are sitting on the sidelines more often than not.

Baseball and the fans would both benefit immensely from more stars playing in the postseason.

Finally, how about parity? You can look at parity as both a pro and a con. A 16-team playoff would certainly help spread the wealth around.

The Yankees could still exist as a perennial contender, but it would make single-team domination less likely to frequently occur, while giving us the excitement of a No. 8 seed possibly toppling a No. 1 seed. The upsets would be bigger and more dramatic.

Cons

The season would have to shorten. Currently, the MLB season ends in late October, just as the NBA and NHL have started setting up shop, and the NFL is in full swing.

MLB could not run the risk of holding playoff games in November where snow could fall. Baseball is, at its heart, a summer sport.

The season would likely have to end in September, and that means cutting a good 20-25 games from the schedule. This has a chain reaction of consequences, such as less home runs, less RBI, and less time for rookie call-ups.

Records set in the past would likely hold forever, and a new era would begin.

On the plus side of that, shortening the season would save a pitcher from pitching through a 162-game season, and then having to go through a four-round playoff to win the World Series. Instead, a pitcher would go through a 140-game season, and pitch roughly the same amount of games as he currently would.

A 16-team playoff would cause MLB to cease being the unique league that they are. The postseason should feel like an accomplishment.

You currently have to be in the top 25-percent of the teams in MLB to make the postseason. That means having to play well all season long. No prolonged slumps, or you might get overtaken and miss out completely.

In a 16-team playoff, you merely have to be slightly above mediocre to make the postseason. It no longer feels like a huge accomplishment, unless maybe you're the Kansas City Royals or Washington Nationals.

Some may feel the postseason could get watered down with average teams, perhaps even sub .500 teams who would just be cannon fodder for powerful division leaders, making the postseason expansion completely unnecessary.

So, as you can see there are valid points on both sides of this debate. Feel free to add your own pros and cons in the discussion thread.