As part of the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) prior to the 2022 season, a 12-team expanded postseason format was added among other changes.
The format introduced first-round byes for the top two seeds and two sets of three-game Wild Card Series between the third division winner and three more Wild Card teams in both the National League and American League.
The rest of the format remained unchanged from previous MLB postseason formats, with a five-game Division Series followed by the Championship Series as a best-of-seven.
However, as part of the early proposals, the MLBPA looked to make the DS a seven-game series as well along with introducing re-seeding after the Wild Card round, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
FWIW: Last Nov. 30, just before lockout, players’ union proposed 12-team playoff but with two significant differences from format the union and MLB eventually adopted: A best-of-seven Division Series, as opposed to be a best-of-five, and re-seeding after wild-card round.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 17, 2022
A best-of-seven DS would give a better chance for superior teams to advance with a slightly larger sample. It would also bring consistency in the round length through the World Series following the three-game Wild Card series.
Playoff re-seeding would work by matching up the lowest-seeded team remaining after the Wild Card against the highest-seeded team, rather than just following the bracket based off the original seeding. During the 2022 postseason, that would have changed both NLDS matchups.
The No. 1 seeded Los Angeles Dodgers would have faced the No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies, while the No. 2 Atlanta Braves would have faced the No. 4 seeded San Diego Padres.
However, if the No. 3 St. Louis Cardinals advanced in their series against the Phillies, they would have faced the Braves while the Padres still would have faced the Dodgers. If the No.4 seed New York Mets advanced against the Padres, they would have faced the Braves while the Dodgers would have matched up the Phillies.
Both changes would benefit the top teams and make sense for the league to eventually adopt.
MLB announces expanded partnership with Google Cloud
MLB and Google Cloud announced an expanded, multi-year, strategic partnership that will allow for the continued innovation of the sport’s media products and properties, such as MLB.TV and other media platforms.
“Google Cloud has been an outstanding partner to baseball, helping us innovate platforms that provide our fans with exceptional real-time experiences, from Statcast to Film Room,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“With their leading expertise in everything from data analytics to machine learning, this partnership provides us with an unmatched extension of technological resources. Now we can continue collaborating with Google Cloud as a means of further delivering unparalleled digital experiences for our fans.”Major League Baseball and Google Cloud announced an expanded, multi-year, strategic partnership that will allow for the continued innovation of the sport’s media products and properties, such as MLB.TV and other media platforms.
“Google Cloud has been an outstanding partner to baseball, helping us innovate platforms that provide our fans with exceptional real-time experiences, from Statcast to Film Room,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“With their leading expertise in everything from data analytics to machine learning, this partnership provides us with an unmatched extension of technological resources. Now we can continue collaborating with Google Cloud as a means of further delivering unparalleled digital experiences for our fans.”
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