No Pain, No Gain for the New York Yankees
Now, some of you might be saying that some teams won’t like this plan because missing the playoffs would mean a net loss of revenue, and no team wants to take that chance.
I agree that some teams would vote no. But baseball has the same voting standard most associations do, which is majority rule, not 100% approval. Besides, if the system needs fixing, then some owners are going to have to be forced into a system they don’t love.
So, yes, I am sure some owners would not love this plan; that’s okay. It is the game itself, the players and the fans we need to help, not the owners. And even most of them will like this better than the old system.
Do not Look Up Incentivized
The point is that every team in the top 20 would be incentivized to win every year. That would have to create a positive effect on the free agent market and the quality of baseball in these towns.
Also, the playoffs would be expanded, putting more stars in the postseason. That is another of baseball’s unique PR problems that this would help.
There is one slight alternative that needs presenting. Even though I was against the one-game playoff, it quickly turned out to be great for the game. And that means that even in this fantasy scenario, MLB would probably want to retain that game.
So, they might have two one-game playoffs, have no three or five-game playoff scenarios, and instead move the same remaining eight teams into three seven-game series.
That gives them not only all the excitement of the win or go home games, but also three lengthy series’ that more truly reflect what winning in baseball is all about.
Even people who have read the Lord of the Rings are bored of hearing about the upper tier by now. Let’s move on.