Astros Moving! But Also Two New Wild Cards in MLB Playoffs :(

So, believe it or not, in a previous post, I advocated moving the Astros to the AL West to even out divisions.  And now it is happening.  Well done!  Now about the Pirates and Braves... (see "Common Sense Division Realignment..." post)

Unfortunately, along with the realignment announcement came another declaration from the commissioner's office that as soon as next year, there will be two new wild card teams in the playoffs, and the two wild card teams per league will meet in a one game playoff.  My complaint about the MLB playoff system has always been the initial round of divisional playoff series is too short at the present best of five format.  The unique thing about baseball is that it is an 162 game grind, where over the course of many months the cream rises to the top.  It always seemed cheap to have two of the top four teams in each league eliminated in a series that is so brief when compared with the duration of the regular season.

But now something even more absurd is being introduced.  A one game playoff.  After pushing through a grueling 162 games, filled with highs and lows, a team now has four hours to decide its playoff fate.  Keep in mind, this isn't the NFL in which a one game playoff makes sense because it is 1/16 of the regular season. For  baseball, a one game playoff is a minuscule 1/162 of the season.

Will the ratings be high?  Probably.  Will MLB make a lot of money?  Definitely.  But the net result is that the league is further cheapening the regular season.