Chicago Cubs: Rob Manfred does it again with playoff format proposal

Chicago Cubs: Let’s break this down

The first games in the playoffs would be a trio of three-game series in each league.  That’s a possible nine playoff games per league, 18 possible games between both leagues.

Now we know they won’t air all those games at the same time.  Certainly, they can’t play the first games, six of them total, in one day.  After all, unless I’m missing something here, this is all about audience TV time and TV dollars so the majority of these games would be at night.

Splitting those games over two days means three games per day.  Again not likely if you want the maximum viewing audience.  So the most likely scenario would be three days of games, two per day.

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If there are two games per day, and all these series go all three games, Including the day off after the season ends, and a day off after the series, those three-game series could play out over the course of say, nine or 10 days.

Chicago Cubs: The problems are plentiful

With this scenario, the top division winner could be cooling its heels for a week and a half.  If I’m the 2016 Cubs, the hottest team in baseball, there’s no way I want that happening.

Even if you played all six games in one day, and ALL the series only go two games, including, the days off, that’s four days off for the top division winners.  Better, but not in the least ideal.

Plus, I’d hate to be one of the bottom Wild Card teams.  Your pitching would be fried after a three-game series following the 162-game season, and if you make it through the Division Series, eight possible games in all, you’ll play just two home games.

Consider this as well, MLB’s proposal also expands the number of playoff teams from ten to fourteen.  Fourteen teams are one team shy of half the teams in MLB.  What the heck? How about MLB just go all in NBA-style and put all but the last-place teams in the playoffs?

We could have baseball nearly year-round.  MLB baseball in late November, December? No problem. Retractable roofs on every park.  Worried about roster burnout?  Just make the whole 40-man available in the postseason.  Season’s over by the end of the year, pitchers and catchers report two-plus months later, and it starts all over again. What’s not to like?