Around Baseball 2026

[Laika]

 

Higher seeds picking their own opponents is awesome. 

Division series being 7 games is very good. 

I don't mind losing 8 regular season games. 

[Super Jays]

Selecting your own opponent just seems like it would give them motivation to beat you.  I think they should just seed everyone by record once the playoffs start and the highest seed should play the remaining lowest seed in the next round.  So the Yankees should have been the #2 seed this year. 

[Laika]

3 minutes ago, Super Jays said:

Selecting your own opponent just seems like it would give them motivation to beat you.  I think they should just seed everyone by record once the playoffs start and the highest seed should play the remaining lowest seed in the next round.  So the Yankees should have been the #2 seed this year. 

Yeah this is a better solution. Picking your own opponent is a gimmick. 

There was never a good reason for the "bracket" 

[G-Snarls]

More detail on the proposal:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-mlbpa-proposal-154-game-schedule-new-playoff-structure?adobe_mc=TS%3D1791488964|MCMID%3D28012695564823884738251373003547888855|MCORGID%3DA65F776A5245B01B0A490D44%40AdobeOrg&affiliateId=mlbapp-android_webview&rsid=mlbat.bat.android&theme=light

 

[G-Snarls]

2 hours ago, Laika said:

Yeah this is a better solution. Picking your own opponent is a gimmick. 

Agreed 

Feels like pro boxing 

[glory]

2 hours ago, Laika said:

 

Higher seeds picking their own opponents is awesome. 

Division series being 7 games is very good. 

I don't mind losing 8 regular season games. 

Yeah a 7 game DS would be a positive, and 8 regular season games is so minuscule that it wouldn't make much of a difference. The "choose your opponent" thing does feel very gimmicky. It would just be easier to do what the NBA does, which is keep the divisions but seed based on record. The NBA doesn't reseed after each round, but MLB can start doing that. It just makes more sense in general.

I think we will see some form of expanded playoffs in the next CBA with or without a salary cap. The owners make more money if they can sell more playoff inventory, so wouldn't shock me at all if we get 1 extra WC in each league and then an expanded DS. The players are going to have to make some concessions to get the owners off a salary cap, and this is probably one of them. 

[G-Snarls]

Judge publicly said he wants the Yankees to go all in next year and keep Boone as manager

Maybe it's one too many A-A-rons 

[Brownie19]

Baseball America (@baseballamerica) • Instagram reel

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675 likes, 191 comments - baseballamerica on October 9, 2026: "Triples and doubles are at historic lows...

 

Wow!  That would be different.  I typically don't like changes that take strategy out of the game, but eliminating the shift would qualify - and I must say - I don't miss the shift AT ALL, so perhaps I should keep an open mind on this one.  

It's like they'd need lines in the OF that align with the straight up positioning - allowing you to play in one back still (otherwise they'd just put a circle out there you had to start within).

To be fair - I kinda like every recent rule change.  I think it's made the game better.   I definitely want more doubles and triples!

[SpencerBateman]

Looks like we have a new mainstream tv show about baseball to get us through this off season 

it’s called SLO potch and it’s about a coach and a rag tag LBGTQ softball team and their lives on and off the field 

it could be good.  Like moneyball or the rookie but tv form 

[Spanky__99]

29 minutes ago, SpencerBateman said:

Looks like we have a new mainstream tv show about baseball to get us through this off season 

it’s called SLO potch and it’s about a coach and a rag tag LBGTQ softball team and their lives on and off the field 

it could be good.  Like moneyball or the rookie but tv form 

You should make like a tree and f*** off, you're not funny nor edgy. Just sayin'

[SpencerBateman]

24 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

You should make like a tree and f*** off, you're not funny nor edgy. Just sayin'

Maybe go attend to your puppy mill

You could try to sell some more abused and probably inbred puppies on here again or just stick to craigslist I guess 

[John_Havok]

On 10/8/2026 at 11:38 AM, Brownie19 said:

Report: MLB sends memo to teams about rules for potential lockout 
https://thescore.com/mlb/news/3615943

That can't be good...

Due diligence. Theres so many little things that nobody would even think of that isnt allowed they have to give them a lot of notice.

[jaysblue]

On 10/8/2026 at 4:44 PM, glory said:

Yeah a 7 game DS would be a positive, and 8 regular season games is so minuscule that it wouldn't make much of a difference. The "choose your opponent" thing does feel very gimmicky. It would just be easier to do what the NBA does, which is keep the divisions but seed based on record. The NBA doesn't reseed after each round, but MLB can start doing that. It just makes more sense in general.

I think we will see some form of expanded playoffs in the next CBA with or without a salary cap. The owners make more money if they can sell more playoff inventory, so wouldn't shock me at all if we get 1 extra WC in each league and then an expanded DS. The players are going to have to make some concessions to get the owners off a salary cap, and this is probably one of them. 

I also think it would be cool to reward the top seeds with home-field advantage for the entire seven-game series, similar to what they do in Japan during the Climax Series (First and Final Stage). Then in the CS and the World Series, you go back to 2-3-2. 

So for example, in the DS series, teams like the Dodgers, Brewers, Rays, Guardians would have all their games at home against the WC teams. That would be a significant reward for teams that finish #1/2 in the AL and NL.

 

[John_Havok]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

I also think it would be cool to reward the top seeds with home-field advantage for the entire seven-game series, similar to what they do in Japan during the Climax Series (First and Final Stage). Then in the CS and the World Series, you go back to 2-3-2. 

So for example, in the DS series, teams like the Dodgers, Brewers, Rays, Guardians would have all their games at home against the WC teams. That would be a significant reward for teams that finish #1/2 in the AL and NL.

 

I suspect the owners would then have to come up with some form of revenue split for that all home series. Not really fair to give all the playoff revenue in a series to 1 team

[jaysblue]

2 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

I suspect the owners would then have to come up with some form of revenue split for that all home series. Not really fair to give all the playoff revenue in a series to 1 team

Yeah that's true. Something like that would have to happen for sure. I would only do it for the DS. But it rewards the top two teams in the AL/NL at least. 

[G-Snarls]

So apparently the Phillies signed Mattingly to a 2-year extension after reaching out to a whole bunch of other people who declined to be considered for the job 

Stay classy Philadelphia 

[glory]

50 minutes ago, G-Snarls said:

So apparently the Phillies signed Mattingly to a 2-year extension after reaching out to a whole bunch of other people who declined to be considered for the job 

Stay classy Philadelphia 

No chance any candidate with options would consider a job with an expensive aging core on the decline and a s***** farm system. They had no choice, really. 

[Olerud363.354]

On 10/9/2026 at 2:55 PM, Brownie19 said:

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675 likes, 191 comments - baseballamerica on October 9, 2026: "Triples and doubles are at historic lows...

 

Wow!  That would be different.  I typically don't like changes that take strategy out of the game, but eliminating the shift would qualify - and I must say - I don't miss the shift AT ALL, so perhaps I should keep an open mind on this one.  

It's like they'd need lines in the OF that align with the straight up positioning - allowing you to play in one back still (otherwise they'd just put a circle out there you had to start within).

To be fair - I kinda like every recent rule change.  I think it's made the game better.   I definitely want more doubles and triples!

I am probably in the minority but I like some of the recent rule changes, like batter on second extra innings, bases larger, only 3 throws to first, but I hate eliminating the shift. 

There are no positions in baseball.   You can put guys anywhere.  You could put 7 guys in the infield if you wanted.  Put everybody on one side or the other if you want.  So I hate that they limit that. 

I think it's up to the batter to counter the shift and I don't quite understand why it didn't happen.  I guess a point I keep making is that a .270 hitter spray hitter with 10 homers is roughly equal to a .240 hitter with 20 homers.   A .310 hitter with 25 homers roughly equal to a .280 hitter with 35 homers.   

For some reason for 20 years everybody took the path to lower average a bit more power, so instead of beating the shift by going the other way, they just tried to pound the ball through it, or over the fence.

Interestingly last couple of years we are starting to see teams and players just try to be the higher average lower strike-out lower power version of themselves (2025 Jays, 2026 Brewers) 

[Spanky__99]

On 10/15/2026 at 1:31 PM, glory said:

No chance any candidate with options would consider a job with an expensive aging core on the decline and a s***** farm system. They had no choice, really. 

Not to mention his Dad is the manager. Lets be real, a manager is at most a 3 win swing. Phillies s*** the bed down the stretch, that's it. Same as the Jays, but they snuck in.

 

[Spanky__99]

Check this s*** out, it's cool... I honestly think the Birds are 2nd...
 

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110K likes, 3,772 comments - sagreeney on August 3, 2026: "Dodgers are ruining baseball lol #baseball #mlb #fyp #tradedeadline #pitcher".