MLB adds two wild cards for 2013, when Astros move to AL

[EPJr]

Two wild card teams will be added to Major League Baseball's playoffs beginning in 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.

"It's a historical day," said Selig, whose new format ensures that an interleague game will be contested "from opening day on."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... e-houstMLB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; adds two wild cards for 2013, when Astros move to ALon-astros-american-league/1

[AZGrizFan]

Texas/Aneheim/Oakland have to be LOVING this. Another patsie in their division to get an extra 10-12 wins against each year.

[Grizalltheway]

Texas/Aneheim/Oakland have to be LOVING this. Another patsie in their division to get an extra 10-12 wins against each year.

Oakland have been patsies themselves for quite some time. And the Mariners will be back...eventually.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

Texas/Aneheim/Oakland have to be LOVING this. Another patsie in their division to get an extra 10-12 wins against each year.

i dunno - in the generic, I'd rather have 1 in 4 odds than 1 in 5 of making the playoffs...

the nl central has to be happy with 1 in 5 instead of 1 in 6 (i guess, if you count Pittsburgh)

[TwinTownBisonFan]

As for the adding yet another f'ing playoff team... yuck.

I like the idea of having two 15 team leagues with a unified table - and then let the top 3 go to the playoffs with the best regular season records getting a bye to the LCS...

of course, they'll never do that... but, I'd like it.

if not that - then go with 5 teams and the team with the best record still gets to go to the LCS automatically

[AZGrizFan]

As for the adding yet another f'ing playoff team... yuck.

I like the idea of having two 15 team leagues with a unified table - and then let the top 3 go to the playoffs with the best regular season records getting a bye to the LCS...

of course, they'll never do that... but, I'd like it.

if not that - then go with 5 teams and the team with the best record still gets to go to the LCS automatically

What? You'd have the other four teams playing, then the winners of those series play, and THEN play the team with the best record in the LCS? That team might have 3 friggin' WEEKS off...

[TwinTownBisonFan]

As for the adding yet another f'ing playoff team... yuck.

I like the idea of having two 15 team leagues with a unified table - and then let the top 3 go to the playoffs with the best regular season records getting a bye to the LCS...

of course, they'll never do that... but, I'd like it.

if not that - then go with 5 teams and the team with the best record still gets to go to the LCS automatically

What? You'd have the other four teams playing, then the winners of those series play, and THEN play the team with the best record in the LCS? That team might have 3 friggin' WEEKS off...

if the first round is a best of three - the second round is best of 5? two weeks maybe... which i suppose will meet with it's own derision... I just hate the fact that MLB is drifting toward the NFL in terms of playoff teams... that's stupid... in a league with such a long regular season - that season should be meaningful.

[AZGrizFan]

What? You'd have the other four teams playing, then the winners of those series play, and THEN play the team with the best record in the LCS? That team might have 3 friggin' WEEKS off...

if the first round is a best of three - the second round is best of 5? two weeks maybe... which i suppose will meet with it's own derision... I just hate the fact that MLB is drifting toward the NFL in terms of playoff teams... that's stupid... in a league with such a long regular season - that season should be meaningful.

Nah. That would never work. Let the two WC teams play a best of three, then plug in exactly like it is now. Suriviving WC team plays the team with the best record, and so forth and so on. That way the delay for the best team is no more than a week, just enough time to get their rotations in order.

[Silenoz]

Texas/Aneheim/Oakland have to be LOVING this. Another patsie in their division to get an extra 10-12 wins against each year.

Oakland have been patsies themselves for quite some time. And the Mariners will be back...eventually.

Mariners are the perennial patsies

2000 Oakland Athletics 91–70 .565 Lost in ALDS to New York, 3–2
2001 Seattle Mariners 116–46 .716 Lost in ALCS to New York, 4–1
2002 Oakland Athletics 103–59 .636 Lost in ALDS to Minnesota, 3–2
2003 Oakland Athletics 96–66 .593 Lost in ALDS to Boston, 3–2
2004 Anaheim Angels 92–70 .568 Lost in ALDS to Boston, 3–0
2005 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 95–67 .586 Lost in ALCS to Chicago, 4–1
2006 Oakland Athletics 93–69 .574 Lost in ALCS to Detroit 4–0
2007 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 94–68 .580 Lost in ALDS to Boston, 3–0
2008 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 100–62 .617 Lost in ALDS to Boston, 3–1
2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 97–65 .599 Lost in ALCS to New York, 4–2
2010 Texas Rangers 90–72 .556 Lost in World Series to San Francisco, 4–1
2011 Texas Rangers 96-66 .593 Lost in World Series to St. Louis, 4–3

[Silenoz]

Team Division
Championships Last Year Won
Current Teams in Division:
Oakland Athletics
14

2006
Los Angeles Angels
8

2009
Texas Rangers
5

2011
Seattle Mariners
3

2001
Former Teams in Division:
Kansas City Royals
6

1985
Minnesota Twins
4

1991
Chicago White Sox
2

1993

[BlueHen86]

Two - 15 team leagues means there will always be at least one inter-league seies at all times during the season.

[UNHWildCats]

Two - 15 team leagues means there will always be at least one inter-league seies at all times during the season.

yes, and I read yesterday each team will play 30 interleague games

[93henfan]

Baseball is a timing game, so a bye would be no good. You wouldn't want the hitters from the best teams going cold while the wildcards and lower division winners played.

I liked hearing that the two wildcards will likely meet in a one game playoff. This kills two birds:
1. The division winners don't have to sit around for a week.
2. The wildcards will likely burn their ace (or next best), giving an advantage to the better team they'll face in the next series.

[SDHornet]

I'm ok with the Astros going to the AL. More wildcard teams...meh. Bad move imo. Baseball already has more than enough games. This move just makes the regular season more meaningless. (See NHL, NBA.)

[Seahawks08]

At least the AAAA Phillies squad will have a DH to trade now if the Phillies ever need to call him up.

And the extra playoff team is dumb. I would have just extended the LDS to 7 games and kept the same number of teams.

[Seahawks08]

+1

[Seahawks08]

+2

[93henfan]

You got that shit right.

You got that shit right.

You got that shit right.

[bluehenbillk]

Not a fan of the extra wildcard team. Teams that squeak out a just over .500 record don't deserve October baseball.

[UNHWildCats]

Not a fan of the extra wildcard team. Teams that squeak out a just over .500 record don't deserve October baseball.

to be fair Boston and Atlanta didnt barely squeeze out a just over .500 record this year... that said, neither team deserved to be in the playoffs either.

I dont like adding the second wild card and then making it a 1 game series between the 2 wildcards... it devalues the wild card to the point where they should just do away with Wild Cards all together. They should just realign into four 4 team divisions in each league and then just have 4 division winners in each league.

They could do this with minimal changes or make drastic changes possibly even doing away with AL and NL and going to a Eastern and Western setup.

[DSUrocks07]

I can't wait until you have the two wildcards within 3 games of each other with two weeks left in the season and everyone else 10+ games back...yep sounds really exciting Bud...

[UNHWildCats]

Not a fan of the extra wildcard team. Teams that squeak out a just over .500 record don't deserve October baseball.

to be fair Boston and Atlanta didnt barely squeeze out a just over .500 record this year... that said, neither team deserved to be in the playoffs either.

I dont like adding the second wild card and then making it a 1 game series between the 2 wildcards... it devalues the wild card to the point where they should just do away with Wild Cards all together. They should just realign into four 4 team divisions in each league and then just have 4 division winners in each league.

They could do this with minimal changes or make drastic changes possibly even doing away with AL and NL and going to a Eastern and Western setup.

Nevermind, 15+15 is 30 not 32 LOL

[Seahawks08]

lol my bad my computer was acting funny last night. Now I know just to hit submit once.

[AZGrizFan]

lol my bad my computer was acting funny last night. Now I know just to hit submit once.

With that avatar, you feel free to hit submit as many times as you'd like.