Major League Baseball (MLB) just wrapped up an incredible season filled with thrilling moments, breakout stars, and record-breaking attendance, reminding us why it’s America’s pastime. And let’s not forget the World Series—widely considered the best in history, with nail-biting games, heroic performances, and a surge in viewership that kept fans glued to their screens.
Yet, despite this resounding success, Commissioner Rob Manfred is floating ridiculous ideas like an in-season tournament and split seasons, as if the sport needs gimmicks borrowed from basketball to stay relevant.
“We’ve talked about split seasons. We’ve talked about in-season tournaments,” Manfred said in a recent interview with WFAN. “We do understand that 162 (games) is a long pull. I think the difficulty to accomplish those sort of in-season events, you almost inevitably start talking about fewer regular-season games.”
The question is, why? Why not just lean into the incredible season you just had instead of lending legitimacy to genuinely idiotic ideas?
The NBA Cup is Such a Bad Idea … Let’s Bring It to MLB
These proposals being discussed by Rob Manfred are a terrible idea that could undermine baseball’s unique charm and traditions.
An in-season tournament, modeled after the NBA Cup, would likely require slashing the sacred 162-game schedule, hurting revenue for teams and networks while diluting the importance of season-long stats that fans obsess over.
Not to mention nobody, absolutely nobody, gives a rip about the mid-season NBA tournament. Nobody respects that garbage. The Lakers were mocked into oblivion for hoisting a banner celebrating last season’s win.
As for split seasons, they would fragment the campaign into artificial segments, creating confusion and devaluing the grind that defines MLB.
Instead of fixing what isn’t broken, Manfred should focus on enhancing what’s already working—better marketing, fan engagement through events like the Field of Dreams game, and letting the game’s natural drama shine without these unnecessary disruptions.
You have a golden opportunity to capitalize on last season and on ongoing fan interest in whether you love or hate the Los Angeles Dodgers dynasty. Use it. Stop distracting with stupidity.
Other Terrible Ideas from Rob Manfred
Speaking of golden opportunities, that reminds us of some other terrible ideas Mr. Manfred has been batting around in his little head. Does anybody remember he had been discussing the “Golden At-Bat” rule?
The rule, presented by Manfred as having a lot of “buzz,” would allow each team to have whoever they want to come to the plate once in the game. Take the Yankees, for example. Let’s say they have the bases loaded, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, down three runs, and Oswaldo Cabrera is coming to the plate.
Bam – “golden at-bat” rule – they insert Aaron Judge, walk-off grand slam. It sounds cartoonish and something you’d see in a video game, because it is.
Then there was Manfred’s proposal to make starting pitchers go a certain number of innings, an idea that led to mockery from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman, who suggested he might as well just make a rule allowing a fan to hit in the DH spot.
Next time you have an idea, Rob, maybe just scratch it altogether, eh?