Everyone complaining about MLB's playoff format needs to pipe down already

The Atlanta Braves were arguably the best team in the majors in both 2022 and 2023 and appeared poised to make deep postseason runs in both years. They won a total of two postseason games in those two seasons, falling in the NLDS to the Philadelphia Phillies both times.

Rather than take the losses on the chin, Braves manager Brian Snitker said that the postseason format was partially to blame for the team's shortcomings in October.

“It’s hard to hit velocity when you haven’t seen anything in five days," Snitker said. "That’s my biggest thing. We had a team that set all these records and everything offensively, and we didn’t hit much in the postseason."

What Snitker does not like about MLB's postseason format which was introduced ahead of the 2022 campaign is the fact that the top teams in each league have too much rest. Rather than play in the Wild Card Series, the top two division winners in each league receive byes, allowing them to automatically advance to the Division Series. That sounds like a great thing to me, but Snitker clearly is not a fan of the format.

Those who are finding reason to be frustrated by MLB's playoff format really do need to just take a chill pill.

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MLB postseason format is not to blame for top teams falling short in October

Snitker's point of view makes some sense to an extent. Baseball is a game meant to be played daily, and those who don't play for a little while might get a bit rusty. The 2022 Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers both dominated in the regular season yet were sent home in the NLDS both years. They won a combined three games in those two years. As frustrating as those losses might be for their fanbases, blaming it on the format is lazy.

First of all, the 2023 Braves didn't just sit around waiting for games to be played. They played simulated games with fans in the stands to keep everyone fresh. Evidently, they still came out flat and lost both of their NLDS opener. The Phillies have hosted simulated games of their own this past week to ensure that their players come out fresh. If they don't perform, isn't it on them and not the format?

Since when did having extra days of rest and having the luxury of skipping a full round become a bad thing? Don't you think a team like the New York Mets would've loved to skip the Wild Card Series, give Francisco Lindor more time to heal from his back injury, and avoid having to play a winner-take-all game against the Milwaukee Brewers? Even the Braves would've benefitted exponentially from a bye, giving Chris Sale more time to recover from his injury and avoiding what turned out to be a season-ending series in San Diego.

Teams that receive the bye get to rest their players who might be dealing with ailments, get to set their pitching however they please, and have home-field advantage for the NLDS. What else is needed to ensure that the good teams have the best odds to win?

What makes MLB such an awesome sport is the fact that anything can happen. It's not like the NBA when you know who will make deep postseason runs before the regular season begins. Randomness always happens in this beautiful game, especially in shorter series.

How many people picked the Detroit Tigers to upset the Houston Astros on the road? They both received the same amount of rest. In fact, three of the four underdogs in the Wild Card Series wound up winning and advancing. Rest played no factor at all.

Thanks to the bye, the New York Yankees have the luxury of throwing Gerrit Cole against the Kansas City Royals' No. 3 starter Michael Wacha in the ALDS opener. Thanks to the bye, the Cleveland Guardians are set to use Tanner Bibee against a Detroit Tigers bullpen game. Thanks to the bye, the Philadelphia Phillies have the luxury of turning to their ace, Zack Wheeler, against an exhausted Mets team that will have a limited Kodai Senga coming back from the IL to start for them.

If the San Diego Padres didn't have to play in the Wild Card Series, perhaps Joe Musgrove wouldn't have suffered his major injury. Instead, since the Padres failed to win their division, they'll have to find a way to deal with that against a rested Dodgers team.

This playoff format gives teams every incentive possible to claim one of the top two seeds in their respective leagues and ensure that they get the bye. They get home-field advantage, get the pitching advantage, get to rest injured players, again, what else do they need? If a team comes off the bye and struggles, that's their problem. They're given every possible advantage to take advantage of having a top seed and make a deep run. How about instead of blaming the format, blame the teams for failing to do what the format is designed for them to do.