MLB's Playoff Format Has People Making Excuses For The Braves

Let me clear. I don't like the current MLB playoff format. It hasn't lead to good baseball being played. In the past two seasons since the current format began, 7 of the 8 first round matchups ended in a 2-0 sweep. It all feels clunky and temporary. With expansion coming in the next couple of years, you'll soon see two leagues of 16 teams each and pretty drastic realignment. 

I'm not sure blaming teams choking is a sign the structure doesn't work. This is going to happen every time you add rounds to the playoffs. You don't want the best teams getting knocked out so far from the World Series? Then have less rounds. But baseball is never going to take less money once more money is already on the table. You can't put the poop back in the butt.

Mike Zarrilli. Getty Images.

That it's the Braves that are specifically mentioned in Rosenthal's story is telling. 

SOURCE - Still, a second straight elimination for the Atlanta Braves, in particular, would generate discussion about the fairness of the current postseason format, which began last season. There are no easy answers. There have been no easy answers since 1969, the start of the divisional era. From that moment on, the teams with the best regular-season records in each league no longer were assured of playing in the World Series.

What happened here? Did the Braves lose one game and start crying to Ken Rosenthal about how unfair the system is? The Dodgers won 111 games last year and got knocked out of the NLDS and didn't say peep. They even 100 games this year and are in the same spot as the Braves. 

These teams are amazing. They vote in favor of these realignments. Then they gladly accept the TV money from having these extra rounds only to bitch about how unfair they are only when they lose. No shit these extra rounds penalize the best teams. You knew this went you voted in favor of these rules changes. You can't bitch two years later.

Harry How. Getty Images.

I think there are two solutions when they expand to 32 teams. One option is seeing 4 4-team divisions in each league. If I had my way, that would be it with no wild cards. Make the division winners really mean something. MLB won't go for that though because it would take a playoff round away. You'd be more likely to see (2) wild card teams in this set up.

The other option is with 2 8-team divisions and then having those division winners get a bye and the (4) wild cards teams battle it out to face the division winners. That's the most similar to the current layout and probably what MLB will do.

I am not sure what the fix is. Right now we are getting a bad brand of baseball in series that are too short. You are also getting teams like the Braves crying about it. Once one team cries, you know more will follow. Are the Orioles or Dodgers next to bitch and moan?

I liked the one game playoff better. It was more exciting anyway. I'd appreciate a 5 game wild card round but maybe that's too long for the teams on a bye to sit. It just feels like any option would be better than what we have. So even if this current format sucks, the last thing the Braves can do is bitch about it. You chose this reality. You cash those checks.