MLB is considering radical postseason changes and they sure are something

Major League Baseball is weighing a radical shakeup to its postseason structure centered around expanding the number of qualifying teams from five to seven per league, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

In the new system, the No. 1 seed in each league would receive an automatic bye into the divisional round. The other two division winners, and the wild card team with the best record, would host every game in a three-game wild card round.

The division winner with the second-best record would choose which team to face in the wild-card round. The division winner with the third-best record would then choose its opponent, leaving the remaining two teams to face off in a third three-game series.

Using last year as an example, here’s what the National League seeding would look like, under the newly proposed system.

1. Dodgers (106-56, NL West winner)
2. Braves (97-65, NL East winner)
3. Cardinals (91-71, NL Central winner)
4. Nationals (93-69, wild card No. 1)
5. Brewers (89-73, wild card No. 2)
6. Mets (86-76, wild card No. 3)
7. Diamondbacks (85-77, wild card No. 4)

*The Cubs would be the first team out last season, with their 84-78 record.

The Dodgers would receive an automatic bye into the NLDS. The Braves would choose between the Brewers, Mets and Diamondbacks for their three-game series.

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Then, the Cardinals would choose from the same group, minus the team Atlanta selected. The Nationals would face the remaining team from the group.

And, the most whacky potential change of them all: The selection process would be broadcast live on TV, a la the NCAA basketball tournament selection show. Oh, the drama!

The idea behind this system is to get more teams to shoot for the postseason each year. Adding the Wild Card Game achieved this, to an extent, but adding a seventh postseason spot to each league would take that a step further.

The selection show idea offers a predictable aftermath. Team A will choose to face Team B because they think Team B is an easier opponent. Team B would take it as a slight and talk about how they can use it to their advantage in the three-game series.

Will that be entertaining? Sure, but it’s an unnecessary quirk. Expand the postseason and keep a traditional seeding practice in place. That will more than suffice.