MLB Playoff Expansion More Likely In 2012
The possibility of expanding the MLB playoffs was part of the discussions at the general manager meetings in Disney World on Tuesday.
The expansion of the MLB playoffs likely would not happen until 2012 due to the difficulties of adding teams in the middle of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The current CBA would have to be modified by the owners' labor policy committee, then approved by the owners and Players Association.
Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry favors additional wild cards and he credited Commissioner Bud Selig with pushing the initial wild-card playoff format through, which began in 1995.
Hendry thinks a majority of general managers would back an expanded playoff format.
However, Detroit Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski said the sentiment of the group isn't that clear cut.
"There was definitely a split on the topic when it came up. It's not per se that everybody's for it," he said.
MLBPA head Michael Weiner said during the World Series that players were open to additional teams being added to the playoffs as part of collective bargaining and Selig liked the idea.
The last two times baseball expanded the playoff teams were 1969 when they expanded from two teams to four and then in 1995 when they were expanded from four to eight.
If there were additional wild-card teams, baseball would have to decide the length of the new round.
