MLB adds two wild cards, moves Astros to AL

[Jefe]

From USAToday

Two wild card teams will be added to Major League Baseball's playoffs no later than 2013, the same year the Houston Astros will begin play in the American League.

Commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday that baseball's owners unanimously approved Jim Crane as the Houston Astros' owner. As part of his agreement to buy the club, Crane will shift the Astros to the AL after 2012, creating two 15-team leagues.

. . .

[Jefe]

So, I didn't realize that the 2 wild cards in each league would play each other in a 1-game playoff to see who makes the division series. I actually am sort of okay with that. Even though I still hate 5-game series. I dunno. They're wild cards. Why make it easy for them. Makes winning the division much more desirable.

[Jefe]

Surprised a change this big hasn't led to any discussion at all. Did we get it out of our system in this thread?

[revo]

Surprised a change this big hasn't led to any discussion at all. Did we get it out of our system in this thread?

Yeah, I think so. I like the idea of the division winner having more value, but not sure I love a one-game playoff to decide who moves on.

Interesting that they have completed CBA negotiations, which went very smoothly from what I understand. Some issues about draft slotting or capping, but for the most part, it was pretty much free from major arguments. Ahhh, labor peace.

[BuckyBuckner]

Surprised a change this big hasn't led to any discussion at all. Did we get it out of our system in this thread?

Yeah, I think we all knew this was going to happen. I appreciate that you posted that it's official. NL Only keeper leagues need to start figuring out what to do with the few Astro keepers. Melancon potentially being the most significant and maybe Bud Norris. I have no problem saying anyone drafted this year can't be kept but players already on rosters I have a little sympathy for. But of course it gets ugly with how a website could handle this, which I doubt they could.

[onejayhawk]

This has been expected for a while. It will be nice for the stRangers to have a regional rivalry.

J

[Judge Jude]

I believe it's now 30 interleague games apiece for teams, and interleague play on most days at least on limited basis (not uncommon for all 30 teams to be playing on Tue-Wed-Fri-Sat-Sun, and in that case at least 1 interleague series.

This Astros thing continues to mystifie me, frankly.

[rhd]

I HATE the adding of another wild card. I dont like the idea of wild cards in MLB anyway. I had held out some faint hope that after the next expansion, MLB could go to 8 4-team divisions and just have the division winners in the playoffs and eliminate the wild card, but this will be impossible now. The number of playoff teams has never been reduced in any sport and probably never will be because of money.

I understand that the purpose is to make the regular season records have more meaning, and this sort of achieves this to a limited extent. But I actually like the way the Japanese handle this much better. They award the team w the better regular season record an automatic 1-game series lead and then start the actual series play w the 2nd game. And the team w the better record also still keeps the home field advantage. So, MLB could extend the Divisional series from 5 to 7 games, award the teams w the better records game 1 and then play the rest of the series. That would also solve the problem the 1st playoff series being shorter than the rest, so it would kill 2 birds w one stone. And there would be about the same # of games actually played as before, so there would be the additional advantage of the season not being made even longer. I wish MLB had instituted those rule changes instead (why didnt they consult me?)

I like going to 2 15-team leagues and having year-long interleague play. I think it's curious that Houston is the team that's moving, but whatever; at least it's convenient.

Wish they had done something about the DH and expanding the active roster sizes. Doesnt sound like these were even discussed.

[amcg]

I LOVE the 1 game series as it provides a real incentive to win the division. If they even think about not doing that then Selig should be strung up.

[Erik]

It was convenient to move Houston for three reasons:

1. To develop a regular rivalry with the Rangers.
2. Because they are currently terrible and don't have any hot rivalries with their NL brethren. Nor are they one of the game's historic franchises.
3. Because they were just sold, and it was convenient to make switching leagues a condition of the sale.

#3 was probably the biggest factor.

[chancellor]

Interesting that they have completed CBA negotiations, which went very smoothly from what I understand. Some issues about draft slotting or capping, but for the most part, it was pretty much free from major arguments. Ahhh, labor peace.

It's amazing how fast a CBA can get done when even a small amount of common sense is injected into the negotiations...

[Moonlight J]

It's amazing how fast a CBA can get done when even a small amount of common sense is injected into the negotiations...

You have smart cookies in the MLBPA from the player reps. In the NBA, you have "we make a lot of money but we spend a lot of money too"

[Jefe]

It was convenient to move Houston for three reasons:

1. To develop a regular rivalry with the Rangers.
2. Because they are currently terrible and don't have any hot rivalries with their NL brethren. Nor are they one of the game's historic franchises.
3. Because they were just sold, and it was convenient to make switching leagues a condition of the sale.

#3 was probably the biggest factor.

Agree that it was all about #3. I just read an article by some Minneapolis sportswriter trying to justify the whole thing by saying how "silly" it was that the two Texas teams were in different leagues. That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I don't hear anyone saying how "silly" it is that the 2 New York Teams, or 2 LA teams, or SF/Oak are in different divisions. It actually seems desirable to me that 2 teams in close proximity be in different leagues.

That's just lazy writing.

[OaklandA's]

It's amazing how fast a CBA can get done when even a small amount of common sense is injected into the negotiations...

It's easy to get a CBA done when neither side is demanding a big change. Believe me, if the MLB owners asked for $350M more from the players, and many still weren't satisfied with that, there would be labor strife in baseball too.

[Long John]

Agree that it was all about #3. I just read an article by some Minneapolis sportswriter trying to justify the whole thing by saying how "silly" it was that the two Texas teams were in different leagues. That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I don't hear anyone saying how "silly" it is that the 2 New York Teams, or 2 LA teams, or SF/Oak are in different divisions. It actually seems desirable to me that 2 teams in close proximity be in different leagues.

That's just lazy writing.

Agreed - Houston and Arlington aren't exactly as close as Queens and the Bronx either.

What a surprise that Bud Selig has taken the one of the worst things about baseball, interleague play, and made it a common occurrence so that no interleague series is special anymore. The casual fan will see one game where there team has a DH and the next series, they don't. They're going to wonder what's going on. It's messed up and its going to create huge scheduling problems with rainouts and make-up games. It's completely ridiculous that one team has to host a team from the opposing league for their home opener. Absolutely unacceptable.

I get that moving the Astros to the AL was convenient from the standpoint of making it a condition of sale. Why not move them at some point in the future when MLB expands to 32 teams and make it a condition of the sale now? Or (and here's a crazy thought) why not move his f$%*ing precious Brewers back to the AL where the were in the first f$%*ing place?!?!

I swear to God. Bud Selig is the worst and most inappropriate commissioner of any of the four major sports ever. Throw FIFA in there too. What a f$%*ing self-important tool.

Thank God for hockey. I'm sooo done with baseball.