Padres Likely Postseason Contenders with Extended Playoffs

With the new proposal from the players asking for extended playoffs, the San Diego Padres are suddenly in a much better position to make the postseason.

As San Diego Padres fans are well aware, it’s been quite some time since we’ve been able to cheer on our team in October.

Well, this year it might not be until November, but despite not playing a game yet, the Padres chances of making the postseason in 2020 are already increasing.

In the latest proposal from the players to the owners they ask for a 114-game season and expanded playoffs with seven teams from each league making the postseason.

Expanded playoffs is certainly something both the players and owners are on board with, so I don’t imagine this will be an issue with the owners as it only means more money with more games.

And the players are asking for expanded playoffs not only in 2020 but in 2021 as well. If you think about that further, the collective bargaining agreement takes place after the 2021 season and at that point, I’d be willing to bet my favorite baseball glove that the two sides will be in agreement to make expanded playoffs permanent.

What does this mean for the Padres?

Well, quite frankly, it means a fanbase who hasn’t gotten to enjoy their team in the playoffs for 14 years should get that opportunity a lot more frequently.

The Padres were already on their way to becoming a perennial playoff team with the young talent they’ve acquired and developed. There were some who thought they had a chance at being a Wild Card team in 2020 before the first spring training started.

Now with there likely being four wild card teams from the National League, the odds of the Padres making the playoffs significantly increases for at least the next two seasons (if the two sides can agree on this proposal).

I’ve never been a huge fan of adding teams to the playoffs. I hate how in other leagues — especially the NHL and NBA — more than half the league makes the playoffs. It really makes the regular season for those two leagues meaningless.

As an enthusiast of the baseball, I love watching the 162-game grind unfold. Yes, you have seasons like 2019 where everything is pretty much wrapped up going into September making the last month somewhat of a bore.

But more often than not, you have a lot of close races coming down the stretch for those very few postseason spots.

However, I do think this is a good move for baseball going forward as it will draw more fans into the game.

Had this rule been in place since 2006 (the Padres last playoff appearance) they would have made the postseason in 2007 and 2010.

That’s still not great, but perhaps in a couple of other years where they were close, they would have made a move to push for that fourth wild card spot.

Still, I think it’s going to be great for smaller market teams who do go through long playoff droughts. This gives them more opportunities to see their team play in October and gives them more of a reason to watch late in the season when football starts up.

Let me know in the comments below if you think this is a good idea for baseball, and specifically if you think this is a good thing for the Padres going forward.