MLB’s latest CBA shakeup would all but guarantee Dodgers' annual NLCS presence

Major League Baseball must enjoy reaping the rewards of the Los Angeles Dodgers advancing in the postseason every year, because the latest proposal to the MLB Players Association would all but guarantee LA's annual presence in the National League Championship.

With the lockout looming, MLB and the Players Association have leaked various aspects of the current Collective Bargaining negotiations to the media. The latest tidbit that dropped earlier this week centered around a reduction in regular season games, an increase in the number of playoff games, and altering how teams slotted in the playoff bracket.

MLB proposed shortening the season to 154 games — the same number of games teams played prior to 1960 when the schedule was expanded to 162 games. There may be pushback on that from some fans, but as long as it doesn't affect the players' bottom line, this seems like a rather innocuous proposal.

Another aspect was changing the League Division Series format from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven. Obviously playoff revenues are higher, meaning both the owners and players could benefit monetarily. Nevertheless, the fan aspect matters too. Lower seeded teams would get at least two home games, and a 2-0 series deficit wouldn't all of the sudden feel like an impossible mountain to climb. Again, this is a rather harmless change that shouldn't cause much of a ruckus.

New CBA proposed playoff format would favor the Dodgers most years

The biggest — and perhaps most intriguing — change, however, is the seeding for the postseason. Rather than the No. 3 squaring off against the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed matching up against the No. 5 seed, MLB would allow the highest seeded team to select their opponent during the Wild Card and Division Series.

In other words, the No. 3 seed would choose between facing the No. 5 or the No. 6 seed. Once the playoffs shift to the Division Series, the No. 1 seed would then choose their opponents who survived the wild-card round.

This year, the Dodgers (No. 2 seed) would've been at the mercy of who the Milwaukee Brewers chose to face in the NLDS. Knowing the fierce rivalry that exists between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee could've turned the NLDS on its head and chosen to play the Braves during the NLDS. That said, LA was 1-5 against Atlanta this past season, so the Brewers might've decided to play the percentages and gone toe-to-toe with the Friars.

Most years, however, given LA's dominance since the format shifted in 2022 — they've secured the No. 1 seed twice and the No. 3 seed once — they would have the luxury of deciding who their opponent would be. We tend to like the Dodgers' chances if the opponent is of their own choosing.

Furthermore, this would also allow for some heated intra-division matchups, such as Dodgers versus Padres, Brewers versus Chicago Cubs, and Braves versus Philadelphia Phillies if that team (or the higher seeded ball club) so chooses.

At the end of the day, regardless of the playoff format, you have to beat the team on your schedule. And if you want to win it all, you've got to take down the very best. But choosing your opponent surely can't hurt.

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