MLB playoff extension explained: How many teams will make the 2022 playoffs, other key info
The new MLB-MLBPA collective bargaining agreement includes several rule changes. One of the more significant is the expanded playoff system, which will now feature 12 teams (six per league) instead of the 10 in previous years.
The new format will do away with a single wild-card match and instead pit the 3rd-place winner of the division against the last team, with the wild-card champion and 2nd-place wild-card winner pitted against each other. These games are played in three-game series hosted by teams with better records.
Another result of the new format was the cancellation of Game 163 and the implementation of a series of stats-based tiebreakers (think NFL system).
What is the new MLB playoff structure?
The new playoff structure for each league breaks down as follows:
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds took byes in this format, while the No. 3 seed took the No. 6 seed in a best-of-three set. The same happens between seeds #4 and #5.
No more seeds will be sown in this configuration. The winner of No. 1 and No. 4 play against each other. 5 series, and the winner of No. 2 against No. 3. 6. This is to keep the series balanced and to ensure that under no circumstances will the first place meet the division champion in the second round.
The 2021 playoffs look like this:
| American League | National League |
| Tampa Bay Rays | San Francisco Giants |
| Houston Astros | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Chicago White Sox | Atlanta Braves |
| Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| New York Yankees | St. Louis Cardinals |
In this format, the Rays, Astros, White Sox, Giants, Brewers and Warriors are all out in the wild-card round. The Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Cardinals play each other in the wild card round.
Here are the results in the new format:
| American League | National League |
| Tampa Bay Rays | San Francisco Giants |
| Houston Astros | Milwaukee Brewers |
| Chicago White Sox | Atlanta Braves |
| Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| New York Yankees | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Cincinnati Reds |
With the change, the White Sox will host the Blue Jays in a best-of-three series, while the Warriors will host the Reds in a best-of-three series. Needless to say, given that the Warriors are going to win everything last year, this could have huge implications for the National League.
While this will have a knock-on effect on Nos. 4 and 5, as the wild card round is now a series, the third-placed division champion will bear the brunt of this new format. It made the road to the World Series more difficult by canceling the bye and putting him in a series with the sixth-ranked team. When the sixth-ranked team comes from a stacked division (like this year’s AL East or NL East), it’s going to be a tough road for the third-ranked division champion.
If a situation like the 2021 Giants Dodgers plays out, and both teams in the same division have the best records in their respective leagues, the second-best team won’t get second, but Relegated to fourth place. So baseball won’t follow the NBA’s precedent for reducing divisions.
This has been MLB’s corporate line for some time. Don’t expect the importance of winning the division to diminish anytime soon.
There seems to be some concern that bad teams will sneak into the playoffs, but MLB isn’t as top-heavy as the NBA. Don’t expect a 70-win team to compete for a playoff spot this year. Under those rules, the Blue Jays made the playoffs last year with a 91-win record and the Reds with an 83-win record.
The MLB playoffs have expanded because, frankly, the playoffs make more money for teams. In recent negotiations, it was up to the owners to drive the change, emphasizing that sharing is a compromise. Remember, it’s not just about adding a team to the playoffs. It adds at least six games. That’s the earnings of six games. The wild card round is now an entire round of the playoffs, not just a game.
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Interest from other teams could make Chris Sale wear another shirt in 2023
Although no more serious negotiations have begun, the Boston Red Sox have noted the interest of other franchises in pitcher Chris Sale and have not ruled out involving him in a possible trade.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that while the Red Stockings are not thinking of trading any of their starters, they may at least listen and consider offers for the members of the rotation, due to many options in the sector.
However, if the team decides that Ace’s time in Boston is over, Sale can veto his fate and choose where he will go, since the no-trade clause in his contract gives him this possibility.
Should any team decide to take over the pitcher’s contract this offseason, they will secure his services for at least two more years, as Chris Sale becomes a free agent only in 2025.
Known for his excellent left-handedness, the athlete has a considerable history of physical problems. In addition to missing the entire already shortened 2020 season as a result of recovery from Tommy John surgery, Sale also took the field nine times the following year in uneven performances.
This season did not start in good shape for Sale either, who missed the start due to a rib injury during Spring Training. When he was healthy, he played only twice and fractured his little finger during an away game against the New York Yankees in July in his last performance. In addition, he broke his wrist riding a bicycle.
“You can’t make that up, right?” said Chaim Bloom, head of baseball operations for the Sox Kings. “We need to send some people after whoever is with Chris Sale’s voodoo doll and get it back.”
Sale was among the top six nominees for the Cy Young award between 2012 and 2018, receiving seven All-Star Game nominations, one World Series win, recording the record for unblemished innings with three (tied with Sandy Koufax and Max Scherzer) and owns a 5.33 strikeouts-to-walk average, the best mark in league history.
Taking into account his wins, but also the medical issue, Chris Sale will have to prove himself again as an elite pitcher who has made it through the injuries. If so, he is a powerful weapon on the mound, regardless of the uniform he wears.
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Pirates sign veteran pitcher Rich Hill to a one-year deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates and left-handed pitcher Rich Hill finalized terms on a one-year, $8 million contract on Tuesday (27), reported Jeff Passan of ESPN USA.
Hill, 42, will be entering his 19th season in the MLB. He accumulated a 4.27 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 124.1 innings for the Boston Red Sox in 2022. Including, his last stint in Boston was his fourth with the team.
Since 2015, when the lefty had a “resurgence” period in his career, he has maintained an average of 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, along with a good 2.91 ERA (140 ERA+) and a 1.06 WHIP in 87 total games.
The veteran pitcher has also played for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets during his long career.
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The Mariners acquire Wong from the Brewers in exchange for Winker and Toro.
The Mariners acquired Kolten Wong from the Brewers on Friday in exchange for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro, filling a much-needed left-handed spot in their lineup.
The Mariners will also receive $1.75 million to help offset Wong’s $10 million salary in 2023, when he will be a free agent. Winker is due $8.25 million in his final year before free agency, effectively a money and player swap for Seattle, while Toro is in his first year of arbitration as a Super Two player and won’t be a free agent until until 2026.
Wong has been a Mariners goal since the team came short of signing him as a free agency ahead of the 2021 season, when Seattle offered a two-year deal but Milwaukee offered a third-year club option, which was the difference at the time, according to sources. The Mariners had inquired about Wong’s availability at the Trade Deadline the previous two seasons, but the competing Brewers were uninterested in moving him.
However, with numerous arbitration-eligible players set to receive raises this offseason, many in the business anticipated that the team might be willing to move some of its higher-priced players for payroll relief, prospect capital, and/or depth. Toro, a switch-hitting infielder with glimpses of good performance, provides longevity for the Brewers’ squad, while Winker, coming off a terribly disappointing season, returns to a division where he flourished with the Reds while facing the motivation of a contract year with the Brewers.
Aloha, @KoltenWong 👋
We have acquired the two-time Gold Glove winner from the @Brewers in exchange for Abraham Toro and Jesse Winker. #SeaUsRise
🔗 https://t.co/V4YD0ApLXD pic.twitter.com/jO9STa5ouI
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) December 2, 2022
The Brewers activated Wong’s option last month instead of paying him a $2 million buyout, opening the door for him to be traded, which sparked interest from clubs other than Seattle, according to sources.
Wong, 32, is coming off what was maybe his greatest season at the plate, hitting.251/.339/.430 (.769 OPS) with a career-high 15 homers, 24 doubles, four triples, 47 RBIs, and 116 wRC+ (league average is 100) while collecting 2.5 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.
Some of this was by purpose, with a more deliberate attempt to raise the ball higher. His line-drive and fly-ball rates were the best in his career the last two years (49.3% combined), but his ground-ball percentage was the lowest (43.7% for ’21-22). It’s possible that his OPS+ in each of the last two seasons – 110 in ’21 and 118 in ’22 – was the greatest of his career.
Wong is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who is coming off a defensively bad year in which he was worth minus-9 outs above average (placing in the third percentile, per Statcast) and minus-1 defensive runs saved.
Some of that could be attributed to lower-body injuries he battled throughout the year, such as a right calf strain from a hit-by-pitch in June, which led to a stint on the injured list and persisted despite treatment and footwear experimentation. A full offseason of rest and a Spring Training with infield coaching guru Perry Hill, who has helped J.P. Crawford and Ty France among others, should be beneficial.
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