Tom Brennan - Mets' New Interleague In-Season Guidelines and New Playoff Rules Bring Hope

I thought, as the Mets head towards the 2022 playoffs and a World Series win and a crown, that I'd need to stop being woefully and blissfully uninformed and take a closer look at new inter-league scheduling and playoff format guidelines.  Maybe you know all this, maybe you don't; changes are BIG! OPEN THE SCROLLS!

I have been known to rant and rave about the Mets having one of the toughest inter-league schedules while missing the playoffs almost every year, seeing a degree of correlation between the two, and wanting change.  After all, take two equally skilled marathoners, and have one run a marathon on flat grade and the other marathoner on hills at 5,000 feet elevation, and the first guy is winning every time.

On closer look, I am very happy with the upcoming scheduling and playoffs changes, spurred on by the new CBA.  Kudos.

Scheduling-wise, the 2023 season is where scheduling is going to change dramatically. 

For 2022, the Mets are stuck with the toughest of the three inter-league schedules, between the Mets (toughest), Atlanta (next toughest), and Philly (easiest). 

The Mets in 2022 have 4 tilts with the Yankees, who are on a potentially historic win pace halfway through the season, and 4 with the very tough Astros.  Atlanta has just 3 with Houston and 3 with Boston (good, but not Yankee-good).  Yep, Atlanta has it easier, and I hope it won't come back to bite us in the tookus in 2022.  After all, I want to be the marathoner to win this division!

That said, starting in 2023, as I understand it, teams will play five fewer games against each division opponent next year and play one series against every team in the other league. 

Teams will continue to play their “rival” inter-league team four times (that's still the Yankees, presumably, for the Mets), but there will be 46 games in all for the Mets against interleague teams (26 more than this year), with three games against every other AL team — to me, that is about as fair as it can possibly be - good move, MLB.  In essence, the Mets will play 4 against the Yanks and 3 each against every other AL team.  THAT is fair as fair can be.  I'm good with that.

Just as good, the Mets will face the other four NL East teams just 14 times each (seven home, seven away), down from the ridiculous 19 games apiece for in-division teams. 

So, gone will be the days of literally 45% of the Mets' schedule being played against Atlanta, Philly, Washington, and Miami.  That's absurd.  The new rules will reduce from 76, to a still meaningfully large 56, inter-division games in 2023, with 6 games apiece against the other 10 NL teams. 

I have to say - I like that.  A lot.  46 games against the other league, 56 against teams in the Mets' division, and 60 against the other 10 NL teams = 162.  Nicely balanced and fair.

Of course, if baseball expands to 32 teams in a few years, as it would like to, that will change the scheduling again, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Playoffs?  

Big improvements there, too, and those changes are starting this fall, making me feel a bit better about our tough 2022 "old rules" interleague schedule.  

I hated the one-game Wild Card entry into the playoffs (not that the Mets got into the playoffs much, but I still hated it). Losing that playoff game in 2016 despite a superb Syndergaard outing was painful, as that team had potential and it got snuffed, and snuffed fast.

The number of teams reaching the playoffs will now be 12, an increase, and the one game Wild Card is now extinct.  

If the Mets and Braves finish tied, the division will be decided on tie-breakers, with no game 163 to decide.  

Tiebreaking criteria will include the teams' intra-division record,  inter-division record, record in the last half-season of interleague games on with other unlikely iterations until the tie is broken.   Oy, I'm getting a headache!

Let's hope the Mets win the NL East Division fair and square, so no tie-breakers are needed.

Once in the playoffs, what happens?

As I understand it, the top 2 seeds in each league (both division winners) get 1st-round byes.  Wanna do that, for sure.

The 3rd seed is the other division winner with the lowest win record of the 3 division winners; that division winner gets no pass.  And as of July 4, the Mets were virtually tied with LAD and just 4 games ahead of division-leading Milwaukee, so winning a lot matters for that.  

Let's win the division AND get that bye.

Then, the next 3 of the 6 NL teams making the playoffs are based on best record of the remaining 12 NL teams...so winning as many games as possible is huge in that regard, too.

Once the playoffs commence, 3rd plays 6th, 4th plays 5th, in best of 3 series, and so on.  

So, the Mets want to win the Division as badly as ever, this year to get the bye, skip that best of 3, and rest their aces.

Given that as of July 3, the Mets were ahead of the Braves and tied with LAD for most NL wins with 49, they are in reasonably good shape there.   By the time you read this, maybe better, maybe worse.

The 7th best NL record entering action on July 4 (as I write this) is Philly, with 42 wins (and Harper's absence until at least mid-August will damage their chances), then SFG with a distant 40 wins, so the playoffs are not a slam dunk for the Mets to reach, but they are in a very good position as of July 3.  

7th best record or worse, tho', means no playoffs. Golf bags.

So, the Mets HAVE to be in the top 6 come seasons' end, or I will not be a happy camper.

It appears the universal DH is what has made all of this realignment possible, so that switch to everyone DH-ing is a good thing.   

Plus, I dunno about you, but I like the extra potential offense.

PLAYOFFS OR BUST!

So...before I go, and as I write this on the Friday prior to the following mid-week subway series, will Jake go in one of the Yankee games, or will they push him off to the Marlins series?  

If he was Max, he'd ask for the ball vs. the Bronx Bad Boys.

GADDIS MADNESS

Catcher Nic Gaddis gets promoted from High A to AAA, bypassing AA. 

Whoa! 

1st AAA game? 2 doubles, 3 BBS in 5 PAs. 

In July his OBP is a Bondsian .500. 35 of 70. 

That is simply sick performance, in a very good way.

ALVAREZ…

SO MANY on Facebook gleefully note HE’S NOT READY!

4 for 32!  14 Ks!  Case closed!  I TOLD YOU SO!

Except besides the 32 ABs, he has walked 8 times, been hit by a pitch twice, and had 2 sac flies.

When you look at every plate appearance, he’s been productive even while adjusting. In 44 plate appearances, a positive result 16 times. That’s a fine ratio.

And 8 RBIs in 10 games..

Not his best yet.  Soon. But…That’s….wait for it….GOOD!

Alvarez may or may not be ready…

but simpletons are simpletons.

ALEX RAMIREZ BY THE NUMBERS

19 years old

6th ranked Mets Prospect

Last 5 games:12 for 20, 2 HR, 11 RBIs.

One….as in, one heck of a prospect.