It’s Time For a Shorter MLB Season

The current state of games within the MLB is now 162, but it seems like it’s time to shorten the regular season once and for all. In the month of April alone (up to 4/22/2018), there have been more postponements so far (26) than all of last season (25 in 2017). The weather in the northern parts of the United States has been brutal, resulting in a lack of games played.

With games being pushed to later dates, teams will be forced to play nearly everyday in some weeks. There have been complaints in the past about a shorter season in the MLB, and this year, more justification can be made towards that argument.

While the MLB was once dubbed “America’s Pastime”, the league has been surpassed in the last two decades by both the NFL and NBA. The interest is down in comparison to other sports. In fact, based on the numbers, the NHL could pass the MLB within years.

While we can all agree that the number of games need to be reduced, a perfect number is out of the question. Would players take pay cuts? How much money would owners lose in the process? Each side loves their money, even if it’s hurting the benefit of the league. Within rumors, there are suggestions about playing a maximum of 152 regular season games, but what’s wrong with 120?

If I handled the outgoing of the MLB, I would set up the format in which franchises played in-division for a total of 32 games (eight times per team). Then, there would be a route of playing the other ten teams in your league for a total of 40 games (four times per team). Finally, interleague action comes into play, with the other fifteen teams amounting to an additional 45 games or so.

In this instance, postseason baseball would start up in September. I would claim that the theory of playing in September is a lot more attractive than playing in November. By keeping an identical postseason format, the solution may not be all that difficult to reach after all.

CBS San Francisco Images