Longtime MLB Veteran Bashes Playoff Format Following Dodgers NLDS Loss

Can the "bye week" be hurting top teams in the postseason?

The 2023 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers is over.

After receiving a bye week while the expanded Wild Card series happened, the Dodgers proceeded to start the NLDS against a red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks and proceeded to get swept 3-0 by a team that won 84 games in the regular season.

Before 2022, the Diamondbacks would not have made the postseason, but due to the expansion that allowed for three Wild Card teams to make the playoffs, they snuck in.

Many have voiced their displeasure with the new format now thinking that it is actually hurting teams that do well in the postseason.

Longtime MLB veteran Ender Inciarte weighed in on social media.

Anyways this new playoffs format doesn’t help the best teams of the season clearly. Sitting for a week to go out and play is like going to the IL and having to get your timing back again. Don’t @ me it’s just my opinion.

— Ender Inciarte (@enderinciartem) October 12, 2023

The Dodgers' last regular season game was October 1st. They wrapped up a regular season in which they won 100 games and even though they "struggled" the last month of baseball, they still went 17-12.

They were awarded with a nice long five days rest to see who they would play in the NLDS.

A long rest period like the one during the All-Star break can be helpful for players to rest and recover before starting up the 2nd half of the season.

Players like James Outman used that time to retool their swing and make changes so they can better prepare themselves at the plate.

This rest period is crucial for many teams since they need to get ready for the last half of the season.

However, this rest period for these top teams in the MLB pretty much did nothing but get players out of their rhythms and then serve them a team that is already 2-0 in the postseason right at their front door.

The Orioles and Dodgers both got swept by their opponents, the Braves are down 2-1 to the Phillies, and could have been swept if it weren't for a base running error in Game 2.

The only top team that has won their division series has been the Houston Astros, who got a 3-1 series win against the 87-win Minnesota Twins who relied more on great pitching rather than hot bats this postseason.

Judging by the track record of the postseason, earning a bye week and getting 5-7 days off can be absolute season-enders for any team in baseball.