MLB has decided that this season isn’t quite strange enough yet. Just hours before the first pitch is thrown in the Yankees vs Nationals game, the playoff format is changing. And it’s changing VERY drastically.
The league came to an agreement with the player’s union on Thursday afternoon to make the change. The agreement has to go through ownership today, though they are also expected to ratify the new format. MLB will now have 16 teams in the playoffs just for the 2020 season.
The union has approved the agreement discussed with MLB for expanded playoffs, only for the 2020 postseason; that agreement is now subject only to ratification by the owners, sources tell ESPN.