Why MLB’s Wild Card Era Is a Disaster
I’m Vince Douglas Gregory of VDG Sports. I’ve been watching baseball long enough to notice when the game changes, and I’ve made the case in my video that one clear turning point stands above the rest: the arrival and expansion of the Wild Card. This piece lays out that argument in full — why adding wild card berths shifted incentives, watered down the meaning of a pennant, and started a chain of changes that, combined with other factors, left baseball feeling different than it used to.
Table of Contents
- Where it all changed: adding the Wild Card
- Playoff dollars changed priorities
- What winning the pennant used to mean — and what it means now
- Other contributing factors: not everything started with the Wild Card
- Why this feels “entertaining, but not in a good way”
- My take: a double-edged sword
- Where do we go from here?
Where it all changed: adding the Wild Card
Once upon a time, the route to October was simple and absolute: win your division, win the pennant, and then play the other pennant winner. It was straightforward — champions played champions. That clarity is what made the regular season meaningful. The phrase “chasing and winning the pennant” summed up the season-long battle that mattered.
“Once the division became that less important of clinching and winning, that’s when things started to change.”
When leagues decided to add a Wild Card — and then add more Wild Cards — the playoff picture expanded. Suddenly more teams could sneak into the postseason without topping their division. On the surface, that’s inclusive and exciting. But if you’re honest about baseball’s traditions, it also erodes the drama of the regular season where every game pushed toward a single, definitive prize.
Playoff dollars changed priorities
Make no mistake: the expansion of the playoffs was driven by money. Playoff dollars — the financial windfall that comes from postseason games, advertising, and broader audience attention — are far more valuable than regular-season revenue. Teams and the league realized that extra playoff games mean bigger payday.
That creates a different set of incentives. Rather than building purely to win the pennant, organizations can aim for a lower bar: secure a Wild Card spot, survive a short series, and reap the reward. The result is a strategic shift where postseason qualification, not divisional supremacy, becomes the primary objective for some clubs. That’s not inherently dishonest, but it’s a big change to what fans were taught baseball was about.
“Them playoff bucks are way, way more valuable than the regular season.”
What winning the pennant used to mean — and what it means now
Winning a division used to signal you were the best over a long campaign. It was the evidence that you earned your spot. Today, the Wild Card route lets teams with weaker regular-season résumés get into October and, in some cases, go all the way.
There are legitimate stories of Wild Card teams capturing the World Series — and those runs make for incredible narratives. But they also underline the point: the pennant doesn’t carry the same weight it once did. If you can win it all without having been the top team in your division, then the regular season’s purpose has shifted. That’s why many longtime fans feel like something important was lost.
Other contributing factors: not everything started with the Wild Card
To be fair, the Wild Card isn’t the only reason baseball feels different. It’s one major pivot, but a lot has happened over the last few decades:
- Rule changes: Proposed and implemented rule tweaks have altered how the game is played and officiated.
- Lockouts and strikes: Labor disputes disrupt continuity and damage fan trust.
- Steroid and drug scandals: Performance-enhancing drug stories tainted heroes and blurred eras.
- Missed or shortened seasons: Lost games and shortened campaigns reduce comparability across years.
Each of these matters. But when I look back and try to pick the single moment that changed baseball’s trajectory the most, adding more playoff spots is the one I point to first.
Why this feels “entertaining, but not in a good way”
More Wild Cards brought more playoff drama, upsets, and storylines. That’s entertainment. But it’s different entertainment. Instead of building toward a decisive regular-season finish where the best teams rise and prove it over 162 games, we now get more short-series volatility deciding champions. That makes October more unpredictable and TV-friendly, but it also changes what a championship represents.
“That’s when things got hectic. That’s when things got topsy-turvy. That’s when things got entertaining and not in a good way.”
My take: a double-edged sword
The Wild Card era is a double-edged sword. On one edge, it revived interest in some markets, kept more teams competitive later into the summer, and created electric postseason moments. On the other edge, it diminished the value of the pennant chase and shifted incentives toward short-term playoff access. As a fan and student of the game, I believe that shift is the primary reason baseball started to feel “off” compared to its older, clearer rhythms.
Where do we go from here?
Do we roll back playoff expansion? Reinstate penalties or bonuses for division winners? Change series formats to reward regular-season excellence more clearly? There are solutions, and each comes with trade-offs. The conversation is worth having because the stakes are the sport’s identity, not just its revenue stream.
What do you think? Was it the MLB Wild Card, the lockouts, steroid scandals, or something else that pushed baseball off course? I want to hear your take.
— Vince Douglas Gregory, VDG Sports