There has been an ongoing debate in Major League Baseball around the appropriate number of wild card teams that should be allowed to participate in the postseason each year. The league expanded from one wild card team per league starting in 2012 to two wild card teams in each league beginning in 2012. Many feel this was an overexpansion that has watered down the regular season and postseason.
When MLB introduced the wild card format with one team per league in 1993, it was seen as a way to make the regular season more meaningful deep into September. Prior to that, only division winners made the postseason. The addition of a wild card kept more teams in contention for a playoff spot later in the year. Some argue the league may have gone too far by doubling the number of wild card teams just a few years later.
With two wild card teams now, over a third of the leagues makes the postseason in a given year. Proponents of expanding the wild cards felt it kept more fanbases engaged for longer. But critics say it reduces the significance of winning a division, especially considering wild card teams only need to finish ahead of one other club now instead of all non-division winners.
Having just two wild card spots initially worked well as a compromise. It still kept the regular season vital through the final days but didn’t oversaturate the playoffs. Expanding to four wild card teams total arguably cheapened winning a division and makes the league more top-heavy in terms of superteams vs everyone else. Parity could suffer as small-market clubs see less incentive to spend for mere wild card contention.
The quality of play in wild card games has also been questioned. It’s essentially a one-game knockout format that can boil a 162-game season down to just nine innings. Upsets are common and arguably better teams are more prone to early exits due purely to the luck of a single game. This was less problematic initially with a five-game division series, but seems magnified in today’s wild card/LDS format.
Some compromise formats have been proposed that could broaden postseason access without overdiluting the regular season product. One idea is to keep two wild card clubs but make the winner automatically advance to the division series. The loser would then host a mini three-game series against the next best wild card team to truly “qualify” for the LDS. This rewards top wild card finishers while still giving the second wild card club a reasonable chance.
An alternative that’s been suggested would expand to three wild card teams in each league but with a tweak. The top wild card club would get a bye, while the second and third wild cards face off in a sudden death game. This winner then takes on the league’s top wild card team in a short series. It adds one more playoff entrant but doesn’t fully diminish the focus on divisional success or the importance of protecting a top wild card slot.
Others feel a return to just one wild card per league is best. With 30 teams now as opposed to the original 14 at the format’s inception, they argue the sport is diluted enough without watering down 162 games even further. Reducing wild cards to a single entry means the regular season uphill battle is tougher again as only division triumphs are rewarded with an automatic pass into a best-of-five LDS.
There are good arguments on both sides and reasonable people can disagree. But taking a step back, there does appear to be merit in concerns that doubling wild card participation weakened the importance of winning a division meaningfully. Especially with MLB’s expansion, going back to a single wild card or implementing minor tweaks to the current format seem like reasonable compromises to consider. In a game of inches, small caliber changes could make big impacts on restoring some vitality to the September pennant races and postseason integrity. There may be too much randomness now with four wild card slots.
Beyond competitive balance impacts, overuse of wild cards may also affect MLB from a business perspective long term. Fans in cities without playoff hopes may lose interest sooner, hurting late-season attendance numbers and television ratings. With so many franchises making the dance, the market may become oversaturated with October baseball as well. Exclusivity and rarity maintains interest levels, and while expanding wild cards initially engaged more fanbases for more of the year, the pendulum may have swung too far in the other direction.
At the end of the day, reasonable opinions differ on this complex issue with valid considerations on both sides. As with many modern debates, the truth likely resides somewhere in the middle ground. While wild cards undeniably spiced up the early months, two per league may simply be one too many in the current baseball landscape. There are adjustments that could be tested to restore more luster to divisional championships while still giving the games’ most competitive non-division winners a fair shake in October. Striking that balance will remain an ongoing discussion for stewards of our national pastime to ponder going forward.
While MLB’s initial introduction of a single wild card team was largely a success, expanding to four total wild card entries may have diluted the regular season and postseason more than necessary. Reducing back to two or three wild cards with minor format tweaks could restore lost prestige to division winners while keeping fan engagement high. With 30 MLB franchises, maintaining a level of scarcity remains important to sustaining longterm enthusiasm for America’s favorite ballgames into each autumn. Finding the right middle ground will likely take ongoing evaluation of the league’s objectives and competitive health.
