Proposal calls for 16 playoff qualifiers

Major League Baseball’s latest proposal to restart the season amid the novel coronavirus pandemic calls for an increase to 16 teams that make the playoffs to vie for the World Series title.

Maybe this might get Mike Trout back into the playoffs.

Major League Baseball is tossing around plenty of ideas these days to start up after the coronavirus pandemic — DHs in the National League, neutral-site games, personal rosin bags for pitchers.

Now comes a proposal certain to truly upend the sport: Up to 16 playoff teams.

More than half of the 30 clubs advance. No need to finish over .500, probably. This skewed season, heck, 35 wins could be enough to play into October.

What’s next, the Winnipeg Jets in the World Series?

OK, we’ve heard this before, that an extra wildcard team or two represents the NHL-ization of baseball. But to some, an expansion from 10 playoff clubs to 16 would mean the end of civilization.

Longtime manager Jim Riggleman chuckled at that notion.

“I think that whatever they come up with this year to play, anything goes. That’s fine,” he said. “But moving forward into next year, I wouldn’t be in favor of that many teams making the playoffs. I don’t think many players would be, either.”

“To say that 16 of 30 teams are playoff teams,” he said, “you’ve got to raise the bar higher than that.”

Other sports are accustomed to a plethora of postseason hopefuls.

LeBron James and NBA teams have been putting 16 of 30 into the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin and the NHL clubs welcome 16 of 31. Patrick Mahomes and NFL squads will bump up from 12 to 14 of 32 this season.

For Aaron Judge, Clayton Kershaw, Juan Soto and others on elite teams, an expanded playoff field and extra games might make it tougher to bring home the trophy. In its offer to players June 8, MLB didn’t specify how a playoff format would work with as many as eight teams in each league for this year and 2021.

For Josh Bell, Joey Votto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and more whose clubs often are way behind, this could be an opportunity. Get off to a surprising 15-6 start in a dramatically shortened season, there’s a chance.

No doubt, a lot of Trout fans wouldn’t mind that. The three-time AL MVP and eight-time All-Star has never won a playoff game in his career — he made it that far only once, when his Angels were swept by Kansas City in the 2014 Division Series.

Would this definitely lead to subpar clubs in the playoffs?