The new MLB playoff format: how many teams will reach the postseason and everything you need to know

The new collective agreement between the MLB and the MLBPA includes several changes to the rules of the Major League Baseball. One of the most important is the expansion of the playoff system, which will now have 12 teams (six from each league) instead of 10 in previous years.

Beginning in 2022, the MLB postseason will feature:

  • 3 American League division winners
  • 3 National League division winners
  • 3 American League wild card teams
  • 3 National League wild card teams

the new format will remove the single wildcard match, and will instead pit the third-best division winner against the bottom team, while the top and second-best wild cards will face each other. These matches will be played in a three match series organized by the team with the best record.

Another consequence of the new format is the elimination of the match 163 and the implementation of a series of tiebreakers based on statistics.

What is the new structure of the MLB playoffs?

The new playoff structure in each league breaks down as follows:

  • Seeded No. 1: Best record in the league.
  • Seeded No. 2: The second best winner of the division.
  • Seeded No. 3: Third best winner of the division.
  • Seeded No. 4: Best record among teams that did not win their division.
  • Seeded No. 5: Second best record among the teams that did not win their division.
  • Seeded No. 6: Third best record among the teams that did not win their division.

The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will advance directly to the next round in this format, while the No. 3 will host the No. 6 in a best-of-three series. The same will happen between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.

Will there be reseeded in the MLB playoffs?

Under this structure, there will be no reseeding. The No. 1 seed will play the winner of the series between No. 4 and No. 5, while the No. 2 seed will play the winner of the series between No. 3 and No. 6. This is to maintain series balance and to ensure the No. 1 doesn’t face a division winner in the second round.

Who would have made it to the MLB playoffs in 2021?

The 2021 playoffs would have been 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, the Astros, the White Sox, the Giants, the Brewers and the Braves they would not have participated in the wild card rounds. The Red Sox, the Yankees, the Dodgers and the Cardinals they would have met in the wild card round.

This is how things would have played out under 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 would have hosted the Blue Jays in a best-of-three series, while the Braves would have hosted the Reds in a best-of-three series. Needless to say, this could have had huge implications on the NL side, given that the Braves would win it all last year.

Who does it affect more?

Although this will have a dominant effect on the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds due to the wild card round now being a series, the third best division winner takes the worst part in this new format. By eliminating the bye round and giving him a series against the No. 6 team, makes the road to the World Series much more difficult. If that No. 6 team comes from a strong division (say, the AL East or NL East this year), it’s going to be a rough ride for the third-best division winner.

Can a team that doesn’t win its division advance directly to the next round?

If a situation like the Giants-Dodgers in 2021 occurs and two teams in the same division have the best records in their respective leagues, the second best team will not get the No. 2 seed and will instead be relegated to the No. 4 seed. Therefore, baseball will not follow the NBA precedent of minimizing divisions.

This is the line that MLB has followed for some time. And the importance of winning the division shouldn’t be expected to dissipate anytime soon.

Why were the MLB playoffs extended?

There seems to be concern that bad teams will sneak into the postseason, but the MLB is not like the NBA, where the leagues have a great weight. Don’t expect to see a 70-win team vying for a playoff spot this year.. Under these rules last year, a 91-win team like the Blue Jays and an 83-win team like the Reds would have made the playoffs.

The MLB playoffs were expanded because, frankly, playoff games make more money for teams.. It was in the interests of the owners to push this change in recent negotiations, and the emphasis on divisions was an important point. Keep in mind that this not only adds a team to the playoffs, add a minimum of six games. That’s six sets of revenue. The wild card round is now a full round of the postseason, instead of just one game.

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The new MLB playoff format: how many teams will reach the postseason and everything you need to know