What's wrong with the 1-game wildcard setup

[patrickgpe]

I was listening to DA on the way home today and someone called in with an interesting proposal to correct the wild card.

 

Change it to a best of 3, all games at the team with the best record. There would be a day night doubleheader and if necessary a game 3 the next evening. It would only add one day to the playoffs and would prevent teams from simply winning the series by having the better ace.

[logan82]

I don't like a double header because that could cause all kinds of issues with starting pitching. You will end up with at least one game where they have to do starter by committee. One really crappy game.

[madbad2000]

Well the steam seems to be rolling towards a 154 game schedule...doing a best of three series for the wild card shouldn't be that big of an issue if they drop down from 162.

[MrTPlush]

Well the steam seems to be rolling towards a 154 game schedule...doing a best of three series for the wild card shouldn't be that big of an issue if they drop down from 162.

 

Steam? Maybe from the players side of things. Owners on the other hand...good luck.

[patrickgpe]

I don't like a double header because that could cause all kinds of issues with starting pitching. You will end up with at least one game where they have to do starter by committee. One really crappy game.

I like it because it gives a larger advantage to the 3 teams that win their division and also increases the advantage to the team with the better wild card record. My issue with the system is that the team with the 5th best record could bring out a super hot pitcher and ride him to the DS..

 

Yeah your pen will be tired and you may have some issues with some starting pitching depth, but next season win your division.

[madbad2000]

I wouldn't rule it out or even say it's a longshot at this point. The Owners are likely to push for an international draft to rein in the wild west that is the current international slotting system. Concessions are going to be needed and a few games less, which would mean 4 less home games per team, is a small price to pay for securing a better system that will likely save the owners more than they would gain from losing one series.

[Point Beer Is Best]

I like the idea of shortening the season and expanding the playoff field. More teams will be "in the race" at the deadline which not only helps fans stay interested longer (more $$ at the turnstiles), it also increases trade value of players on the very few teams totally out of contention which should help them become relevant sooner. An expanded playoff field is a necessity for more small market teams to ultimately win a championship by getting hot at the right time.

[igor67]

No interest in an expanded playoff. There are ebbs and flows to a baseball season that are unique, in large part because of the exclusivity of the playoffs. I loathe that the NBA and NHL playoffs are almost as long as their regular seasons.

[FVBrewerFan]

I was listening to DA on the way home today and someone called in with an interesting proposal to correct the wild card.

 

Change it to a best of 3, all games at the team with the best record. There would be a day night doubleheader and if necessary a game 3 the next evening. It would only add one day to the playoffs and would prevent teams from simply winning the series by having the better ace.

 

I don't know who DA is, but one game playoff is fine. Those teams are lucky to even be in the playoffs. Win your division, if not just get on with it.

[logan82]

I don't like a double header because that could cause all kinds of issues with starting pitching. You will end up with at least one game where they have to do starter by committee. One really crappy game.

I like it because it gives a larger advantage to the 3 teams that win their division and also increases the advantage to the team with the better wild card record. My issue with the system is that the team with the 5th best record could bring out a super hot pitcher and ride him to the DS..

 

Yeah your pen will be tired and you may have some issues with some starting pitching depth, but next season win your division.

I don't care if a team wears out their pen for the next round. I care about who moves on being decided by a crapfest of pitching.

[stoutdude04]

I don't like a double header because that could cause all kinds of issues with starting pitching. You will end up with at least one game where they have to do starter by committee. One really crappy game.

I like it because it gives a larger advantage to the 3 teams that win their division and also increases the advantage to the team with the better wild card record. My issue with the system is that the team with the 5th best record could bring out a super hot pitcher and ride him to the DS..

 

Yeah your pen will be tired and you may have some issues with some starting pitching depth, but next season win your division.

I don't care if a team wears out their pen for the next round. I care about who moves on being decided by a crapfest of pitching.

 

 

Honest question. Why would it be a crapfest? Teams would still use their 1 through 3 starters if possible.

[MrTPlush]

I wouldn't rule it out or even say it's a longshot at this point. The Owners are likely to push for an international draft to rein in the wild west that is the current international slotting system. Concessions are going to be needed and a few games less, which would mean 4 less home games per team, is a small price to pay for securing a better system that will likely save the owners more than they would gain from losing one series.

 

Cutting out 4 home games is a pretty big deal. On ticket sales alone it will cost a team like the Brewers approx. $3mil yearly and a team like the Red Sox could be looking at a $9mil hit yearly. Once you start considering the losses at the team store, concessions, TV money, and parking I would imagine such a move would cost team A LOT more on top of just ticket sales. Also keep in mind TV money would be hit for all 8 games not just the home games.

 

Simply put you are cutting out 5% of day of game revenue. That is a pretty hefty price to pay. Not saying it can't happen, but it won't be very easy. It is like the exact opposite of what the NFL wants to do right now. The owners want two more games for revenue and the players want nothing to do with it.

[madbad2000]

I wouldn't rule it out or even say it's a longshot at this point. The Owners are likely to push for an international draft to rein in the wild west that is the current international slotting system. Concessions are going to be needed and a few games less, which would mean 4 less home games per team, is a small price to pay for securing a better system that will likely save the owners more than they would gain from losing one series.

 

Cutting out 4 home games is a pretty big deal. On ticket sales alone it will cost a team like the Brewers approx. $3mil yearly and a team like the Red Sox could be looking at a $9mil hit yearly. Once you start considering the losses at the team store, concessions, TV money, and parking I would imagine such a move would cost team A LOT more on top of just ticket sales. Also keep in mind TV money would be hit for all 8 games not just the home games.

 

Simply put you are cutting out 5% of day of game revenue. That is a pretty hefty price to pay. Not saying it can't happen, but it won't be very easy. It is like the exact opposite of what the NFL wants to do right now. The owners want two more games for revenue and the players want nothing to do with it.

 

 

When you factor in what teams like the Red Sox are spending/have spent on the International Market they would come out far ahead in terms of money saved. This is a bad example since the large market teams would likely be against an International draft since they have an advantage in spending. If you look at the rest of the league, there is huge incentive to normalize the international market and have a better chance at getting those players instead of watching them head to the Dodgers or Red Sox or *insert team going way over their slot."

 

I don't think the NFL is a great counter example since they only have 16 games/8 home games. Adding one extra home game is a 12.5% boost to home ticket revenue compared to 4.9% for MLB. There are also other factors at play such as positioning of the Owners vs. Players. In the NFL the players want to eradicate the franchise tag and will need a major concession, which the Owners could play the 2 extra games card. In MLB, the players are pushing for less games which leaves some leverage for owners and while the International Draft might not be a 1 for 1 swap in all cases, it would be a nice start to package with something else that they want.