Baseball moved closer to a 16-team playoff for the 2020 season when Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to the format, ESPN reported Thursday.
Expanding the playoffs still needs the approval of owners, according to multiple reports.
The format, if adopted, would allow top-seeded teams to choose their first-round opponent, according to reports. The top two finishers in each of baseball’s six divisions would qualify with the seventh and eighth teams in each league being based on record.
ESPN reported that player and family housing as well as access to the stadium were issues for the players that were apparently resolved.
The current 10-team postseason was implemented in 2012, when a second wild card was added in both leagues.
Additional playoff games this year could help the owners and players recoup some of the losses incurred due to the regular season being reduced from 162 to 60 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, teams will play some if not all of their games behind closed doors, cutting off the game-day income derived from tickets, parking, concessions and merchandise sales.
When the clubs and the MLBPA engaged in contentious talks over the length of the delayed season, MLB had proposed a 16-team playoff field for this year. However, that item was eliminated when commissioner Rob Manfred ultimately imposed a 60-game slate for each team.
-Field Level Media
