Chicago Cubs: Is the MLB playoff format flawed?

Last season, due to their own fault, the Chicago Cubs had to play in the Wild Card game–with the second best record in the National League. Doesn’t that strike anyone as odd?

In the midst of all the recent talks adapting the designated hitter in the National League, it got me thinking. Should the MLB be worrying about this? With the replay rules and ongoing discussions about the DH, the weird MLB playoff format has been forgotten about. I know pitchers and catchers haven’t even reported, but why don’t we jump into October already?

Let’s first start with how absurd the Wild Card game is. As fun as it can be to watch a one-game series winner move on, (unless it’s the Chicago Cubs since we are all nervous the entire time), we pretty much forget how ridiculous it is.

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Anyone who has been around the sport of baseball knows any team can win on any given day. And if a team has one lights out pitcher, it’s over (2015 Cubs with Jake Arrieta). If the playoffs are really about crowning the best team as champion, the season should be shortened a few games, and the Wild Card game should be a best of three series.

The Wild Card game brings me to my next point, which is that the seeding system is stupid. There is entirely no reason the Cubs should have played in a Wild Card game with the second best record in the National League.

This is where the MLB should copy the NBA and take the best five teams from both leagues and seed them, and the fourth and fifth seed placed in the Wild Card game. This comes back to the “any given team can win on any given day.” If we are going to keep it at a one-game series, the team with the second-best record shouldn’t have to play in this game.

Don’t get me wrong, I love postseason baseball. And the way it’s set up makes it exciting, and probably brings in a lot of money. That Wild Card game is fun to watch as a fan, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s actually pretty dumb. Let’s just hope that the Cubs don’t have to play in that Wild Card game again next year.