MLB Hot Stove 2020: Congratulations to the nations capital

Blitz

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Choosing the opponents is definitely something they should look into. Could generate almost a college football type hatred towards teams. Just imagine the seething hatred a fanbase would build after the Yankees beat the Twins for the next 5 years, or the Dodgers murder the Padres for a few. Honestly, would probably be good for the sport. The disrespect of the lower seeded teams being chosen - the potential on field fights, and "David & Goliath" stories. I love the idea.
 
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Rengak

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Choosing the opponents is definitely something they should look into. Could generate almost a college football type hatred towards teams. Just imagine the seething hatred a fanbase would build after the Yankees beat the Twins for the next 5 years, or the Dodgers murder the Padres for a few. Honestly, would probably be good for the sport. The disrespect of the lower seeded teams being chosen - the potential on field fights, and "David & Goliath" stories. I love the idea.

The Twins have lost 16 straight postseason games, 13 of which are to the Yankees. I think the hatred is there!
 
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Blitz

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The Twins have lost 16 straight postseason games, 13 of which are to the Yankees. I think the hatred is there!

Add in the disrespect of actually choosing them to be the opponent -- ouch!
 
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Zzen

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lol, it’s not like the Reds have to worry about the postseason anyways.

Shut the fuck up Trevor Bauer.
 
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Alex

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lol, it’s not like the Reds have to worry about the postseason anyways.

Shut the fuck up Trevor Bauer.

Reds are favored to win the division. Best starting rotation in the division and they significantly upgraded the offense in FA. Sure the bullpen has some questions, but the other teams look worse overall.
 
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That defeats the purpose...

No, it turns the choice into a strategic one. A division winner might pick a weak wildcard team. That is a no-brainer unless the picked team has its own option (to pick one of the other division winners). If they do, then the original team gets its pick back and picks again. So the winner who gets the first choice has to strategic, and not just pick the easiest team, because that easiest team might opt to play one of the other top seeded teams.
 
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Sterling

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No, it turns the choice into a strategic one. A division winner might pick a weak wildcard team. That is a no-brainer unless the picked team has its own option (to pick one of the other division winners). If they do, then the original team gets its pick back and picks again. So the winner who gets the first choice has to strategic, and not just pick the easiest team, because that easiest team might opt to play one of the other top seeded teams.
The idea is to give the biggest advantage to the choosing team. That's literally the whole point the highest seed gets the easiest matchup.
 
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taimaishoo

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No, it turns the choice into a strategic one. A division winner might pick a weak wildcard team. That is a no-brainer unless the picked team has its own option (to pick one of the other division winners). If they do, then the original team gets its pick back and picks again. So the winner who gets the first choice has to strategic, and not just pick the easiest team, because that easiest team might opt to play one of the other top seeded teams.
The point of the rule is to give the best team a big advantage. In your scenario the worst team essentially has it's choice of which division winner they want to face if chosen by the best team.
 
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exactly, because I do not think your first sentence is entirely accurate. There has to be some possibility of strategic planning or miscalculation, ir the system us boring because everyone will know the best team will always pick the weakest. My system allows that "weakest" team to calculate if it can play a spoiler.

The issue is MLB needs more Drama. "The point of the rule is to give the best team a big advantage" = no drama.

Example: Best team Y picks worst team X as its playoff pick. Everyone who pays any attention to the game knows X is the weakest. Ho hum.

Revised example: Team Y chooses team B, the 2nd weakest team. Team B can take its shot at Y or it can think it has a better chance of being a spoiler against team Z. (Should team Z have a right of refusal?) Once team B becomes matched against Z, Y then has to remake its choice, and can choose X (the weakest team) or W (the third weakest team) or could even choose one of the other division winners. (Division winners do not get to opt out of being chosen?)

I know this is convoluted and as a game design it might not work for some reason I am not seeing, but I do not think I am wrong in assuming that what MLB needs is some new and unique playoff system to pull fans back to the game toward the end of the loooooong baseball season. Spicing up how playoff brackets are chosen is one way to surely add drama. Like imagine, one season team R gets reamed in the playoffs by team J. Next season, both teams make it to the post season, but team J won its division, so has a choice. Team R also won its division, but J has the better record.

J feels dangerous. J picks to play R in the first division, this time in a BotB cage match.
 
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Sterling

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I mean normally it's the highest seed vs the lowest. This just gives the higher seed options if they prefer a different matchup. The fact that they might not choose the lowest seed already adds some variance. Or we can just add more hoops. Each team plays a Bowling tournament against every other team to decide the order in which they choose teams for a spelling bee to determine playoff seeding.
 
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I mean normally it's the highest seed vs the lowest. This just gives the higher seed options if they prefer a different matchup. The fact that they might not choose the lowest seed already adds some variance. Or we can just add more hoops. Each team plays a Bowling tournament against every other team to decide the order in which they choose teams for a spelling bee to determine playoff seeding.

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DickTrickle

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Yeah, I think MLB is the worst when it comes to having an advantage from having the best regular season (mostly owing to the smaller number of teams let in and the potential differences between division winners and second place wild card teams). This system would give slightly more reward to the top teams. That's the point, not about making it a strategic balancing act.
 

taimaishoo

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Yeah, I think MLB is the worst when it comes to having an advantage from having the best regular season (mostly owing to the smaller number of teams let in and the potential differences between division winners and second place wild card teams). This system would give slightly more reward to the top teams. That's the point, not about making it a strategic balancing act.
Especially since they have best of 5 series. All it takes is two good starters and the lower seed can have the advantage in a short series.
 
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Chanur

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After hearing the Astro's apology the only feeling I have is they are not sorry and thought it was worth it. That just tell me they didn't get punished nearly enough as I said originally.
 
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