The Postseason Farce: Why MLB's Seeding System is a Joke

Listen, I've been around the game long enough to know that the grind of a 162-game season is supposed to mean something. But as CBS Sports first reported, if you look at the current MLB postseason format, which has been in place since 2022, the reward for winning is becoming a punchline.

**OPINION:** Let's be clear: the current seeding is a joke. It punishes the real contenders and transforms the Wild Card into a chaotic coin flip rather than a reward for excellence. When the second-best record in a league is forced into a best-of-three series while a mediocre division winner gets a bye, the system isn't just broken—it's an insult to the game.

According to reporting from CBS Sports, we are seeing a recurring nightmare where a team with the league's second-best record is knocked down from the No. 2 seed to the No. 4 spot. This has happened three times in the last four years. In 2023, the Toronto Blue Jays (94-68) were the runners-up in the AL East but were pushed down because the Baltimore Orioles (101-61) won the division. In 2025, the New York Yankees (94-68, via tiebreaker) suffered the same fate after the Baltimore Orioles took the crown.

CBS Sports notes that the 2026 AL East is headed for the same disaster. The Tampa Bay Rays (95-60) are poised to win the division, and the New York Yankees (89-66) are set to finish second. Despite having the league's two best records, Tampa will get the bye while the Yankees are relegated to the Wild Card Series. The second bye will go to the winner of the AL Central or AL West, neither of whom will be within eight games of New York.

To make matters worse, the Yankees are lined up to face the Boston Red Sox (84-72) in the Wild Card Series, as Boston is expected to clinch the AL's third-best record. Because the No. 1 seed must play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed series, the winner of the Yankees-Red Sox clash will then have to face the Rays in the ALDS.

As CBS Sports points out, the current AL standings create a bizarre reality where the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees battle through the early rounds, while a team from the AL Central or AL West—such as the Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians, or Texas Rangers—is guaranteed a spot in the ALCS. In fact, CBS Sports suggests the Red Sox should actually tank their remaining games to fall into the No. 6 seed, as that path is currently more favorable.

CBS Sports argues that the easiest fix is reseeding the six postseason teams based on record, regardless of division. Using last year's data as an example, a reseeded bracket would have given the bye to the Toronto Blue Jays (94-68) and the New York Yankees (94-68), rather than the Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners (90-72). This would ensure that more wins equal more rewards, incentivizing teams to keep their foot on the gas until the final pitch.