Rob Manfred responds to criticism of MLB playoff format

MLB’s new playoff format has faced some criticism after none of the regular season’s best teams made it to the League Championship Series, but commissioner Rob Manfred is calling for patience.

Manfred responded to some recent criticisms by arguing that it was too soon to tell if there was an actual trend among the best teams losing in the Division Series, but that the league would “reevaluate in the offseason.”

“It’s only Year 2,” Manfred said Thursday, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN. “I’m sort of the view you need to give something a chance to work out. I know some of the higher-seeded teams didn’t win. I think if you think about where some of those teams were, there are other explanations than a five-day layoff. But I think we’ll reevaluate in the offseason like we always do and think about if we have the format right.”

The extended layoff has been the primary focus, as three 100-win teams — the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers — lost in the LDS, with the Orioles and Dodgers getting swept. All three teams had to sit inactive for five days while their opponents played in the wild-card series, which some point to as a clear advantage for the underdogs. Questions grew this year after the Dodgers and Braves both lost in the NLDS in 2022 under the same circumstances.

Manfred may be right that the layoff may not be a sufficient explanation for all this. The Dodgers’ best hitters didn’t hit, a problem that also befell the Braves. On the other hand, their opponents were able to build up rhythm and momentum that they never did, ensuring the question will not go away as long as these outcomes keep happening.