Should MLB restructure its playoff format?

[GiantsFanatic]

What do you guys think?

Personally I would like to see a 16 team playoff, like the 1st round go best out of 3, 2nd round best out of 5, LCS and WS both go best out of 7.
3 division winners, 5 WC, seeded 1-8 based on record.

[DravenX]

I wouldn't know until MLB tried it. I think the current format works well.

[ATLien]

Nah. The MLB playoff format is my favourite of all the major three sports. Short and sweet.

[Fishercat]

Absolutely not. This isn't the NBA.

I love that only the best handful of teams get in, and baseball's playoff format is probably the best in pro sports for that reason.

[HollywoodLeo]

They play 162 games, they play enough games in the playoffs.

Plus, that would dilute the playoff talent way too much.

Under that format the Marlins, Blue Jays, and Cardinals would all be in the playoffs right now with sub-.500 records.

[browntown653]

I love the MLB playoffs personally and think they have it completely right, except I'm a fan of a 2-2-1-1-1 format rather than a 2-3-2 in the WS.

[rockin500]

current format works for me.

[Halladay_is_God]

the current format is what keeps baseball separate from the other sports out there, it's great to see, makes the race for the playoffs all most exciting, why change it?

8 teams is more than enough, it's what drives team to be better than average or just good enough to make the playoffs if a 16 team format was done.

[GiantsFanatic]

I dont know guys, I just think its messed up format, you play 162 games a year, and your team has a better record then another doivision winner, and your team does not make the playoffs? And plus MLB has these whack ass rules that the WC winner cant face its divisonal champ in the first round? There is no logic whatsoever in those 2 concepts.

[HollywoodLeo]

I'd rather a team miss the playoffs with a better record than a division winner than to see sub-.500 teams make the playoffs.

I do agree that the WC should be able to play their division winner in the first round, however.

[GiantsFanatic]

Well thats why 8 team format would work, it will allow the sub .500 teams to be a 8th and 7th seeds and have to play the tough 1 and 2 seeds.

[HollywoodLeo]

But the problem is, the sub .500 teams shouldn't be the bottom seeds. They should be the sitting at home watching the teams that actually had a good season seeds.

[GiantsFanatic]

How many times have sub .500 teams have made it in the playoffs? Does it happen every year? Since 2001, only 4 times that has happened, 03 Cubs won the division with 88-74 record .543, 05 Padres with a 82-80 record .506, and last year when the Padres and Dodgers both had a 88-74 record.

[HollywoodLeo]

How many times have they had the playoff format that you are proposing?

1 team making it in with a sub .500 record is 1 too many, but I'll look up some numbers anyways because I'm bored.

The Padres almost making it in sub .500 under the current format only strengthens my stance against your proposal.

[GiantsFanatic]

Its not like those sub .500 are winning the WS, or even making it to the WS, besides STL from last year who just couldn't win durring last 2-3 weeks of the season the only reason why they had a sub .500 record.