Due to the shortened regular season in 2020, MLB made a decision to expand this year’s playoffs from 10 to 16 teams. The move proved to be popular with baseball fans while bringing the league more revenue, which is why MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to keep the expanded postseason in the future as well.

In a recent interview with Associated Press, Manfred discussed the matter and voiced his support towards having more teams in the playoffs past 2020. 

 “I like the idea of, and I’m choosing my words carefully here, an expanded playoff format,” said Manfred.

Manfred ruled out the option of having 16 teams in the postseason like this year, as he believes this would make the regular season lose its importance. However, two or four more teams seem like a legitimate option.

“I don’t think we would do 16 like we did this year,” he added. “I think we do have to be cognizant of making sure that we preserve the importance of our regular season. But I think something beyond the 10 that we were at would be a good change.”

MLB has been pushing for 14-team playoffs the last offseason but didn’t manage to get the momentum they needed for a change. It is important to note that the league can’t decide this by themselves, as they need the MLB Players’ Association approval for any change.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Hopes to Keep Expanded Playoffs Past 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball fans were given a bit of hope during the week after reports suggested that Commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association president Tony Clark were getting closer to reaching an agreement that would see the postponed baseball season get underway.

However, a new bucket of ice-cold water doused that hope with reality on Thursday, after it came to light that Manfred had immediately rejected the Union’s proposal of a 70-game regular season.

The two parties held a “productive” meeting earlier in the week in which several stumbling blocks towards an agreement, including player compensation, safety protocols, and season length, had reportedly been ironed out.

However, as the Players’ Association made it clear in their counter-proposal to Manfred, there is still a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to how many games will be played.

“I told (Clark) 70 games was simply impossible given the calendar and the public health situation, and he went ahead and made that proposal anyway,” Manfred said when asked about the problem regarding the number of games in the season.

Manfred has stated that, according to public health recommendations, it would be unsafe for the season to go on past the month of October, something that would be inevitable in the latest union proposal.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Rejects Latest Union Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred shared the news that baseball fans were fearing on Monday, revealing that the sport’s Opening Day will not take place until mid-May at the earliest in the midst of the current global coronavirus pandemic.

Manfred, following new containment guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control, which state that public gatherings of more than 50 people are to be avoided for the next eight weeks, established in a conference call with team owners that the start of the season is going to be significantly delayed.

The news was then confirmed to fans and journalists in a press release published by the league shortly thereafter.

The coronavirus outbreak is currently growing in the United States, with around 3,500 confirmed cases in 49 states.

One of the keys that government agencies are stressing to American citizens is to avoid large crowds and public get-togethers, which can be the perfect situation for a virus to rapidly spread.

So, for now, Major League Baseball must simply wait and see how the pandemic evolves. The league recognizes that an abbreviated Spring Training will have to precede Opening Day, which could set the season’s beginning back even farther.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Says Season Will Start in Mid-May, at Earliest appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Due to the shortened regular season in 2020, MLB made a decision to expand this year’s playoffs from 10 to 16 teams. The move proved to be popular with baseball fans while bringing the league more revenue, which is why MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to keep the expanded postseason in the future as well.

In a recent interview with Associated Press, Manfred discussed the matter and voiced his support towards having more teams in the playoffs past 2020. 

 “I like the idea of, and I’m choosing my words carefully here, an expanded playoff format,” said Manfred.

Manfred ruled out the option of having 16 teams in the postseason like this year, as he believes this would make the regular season lose its importance. However, two or four more teams seem like a legitimate option.

“I don’t think we would do 16 like we did this year,” he added. “I think we do have to be cognizant of making sure that we preserve the importance of our regular season. But I think something beyond the 10 that we were at would be a good change.”

MLB has been pushing for 14-team playoffs the last offseason but didn’t manage to get the momentum they needed for a change. It is important to note that the league can’t decide this by themselves, as they need the MLB Players’ Association approval for any change.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Hopes to Keep Expanded Playoffs Past 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball fans were given a bit of hope during the week after reports suggested that Commissioner Rob Manfred and Players Association president Tony Clark were getting closer to reaching an agreement that would see the postponed baseball season get underway.

However, a new bucket of ice-cold water doused that hope with reality on Thursday, after it came to light that Manfred had immediately rejected the Union’s proposal of a 70-game regular season.

The two parties held a “productive” meeting earlier in the week in which several stumbling blocks towards an agreement, including player compensation, safety protocols, and season length, had reportedly been ironed out.

However, as the Players’ Association made it clear in their counter-proposal to Manfred, there is still a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to how many games will be played.

“I told (Clark) 70 games was simply impossible given the calendar and the public health situation, and he went ahead and made that proposal anyway,” Manfred said when asked about the problem regarding the number of games in the season.

Manfred has stated that, according to public health recommendations, it would be unsafe for the season to go on past the month of October, something that would be inevitable in the latest union proposal.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Rejects Latest Union Proposal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred shared the news that baseball fans were fearing on Monday, revealing that the sport’s Opening Day will not take place until mid-May at the earliest in the midst of the current global coronavirus pandemic.

Manfred, following new containment guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control, which state that public gatherings of more than 50 people are to be avoided for the next eight weeks, established in a conference call with team owners that the start of the season is going to be significantly delayed.

The news was then confirmed to fans and journalists in a press release published by the league shortly thereafter.

The coronavirus outbreak is currently growing in the United States, with around 3,500 confirmed cases in 49 states.

One of the keys that government agencies are stressing to American citizens is to avoid large crowds and public get-togethers, which can be the perfect situation for a virus to rapidly spread.

So, for now, Major League Baseball must simply wait and see how the pandemic evolves. The league recognizes that an abbreviated Spring Training will have to precede Opening Day, which could set the season’s beginning back even farther.

The post MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Says Season Will Start in Mid-May, at Earliest appeared first on SportzBonanza.