A’s might have slightly better opportunity to advance
The A’s have won exactly one of 11 postseason series over the past 20 years in the Billy Beane era. Now, there will be even more playoff games to navigate, thanks to the expanded system agreed to by Major League Baseball and the players’ union.
More than half (16) of the 30 majorleague teams now will qualify for the postseason.
“I think in general we’re up for anything this year,” A’s general manager David Forst said Friday on a video call. “Throw all the norms and traditions out the window in a 60game season. It’s great we’re going to have more playoff baseball.
“Obviously, we built this team originally with the idea we would contend for the division and be part of the old playoff structure Hopefully, it works out and we’re part of that group of 16.”
A’s vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane often has called the playoffs “a crapshoot” — his teams are 115 in potential clinchers — and a drastically shortened season also could affect the postseason landscape greatly. Under the format for 2020, the top two teams in each division will make the playoffs as will the seventh and eighthbest teams in each league. All will play threegame firstround series.
Shortstop Marcus Semien, the A’s player union representative, said the A’s voted in favor of the expanded format and “the majority of our team wanted it.”
“I think it gives us a better chance to accomplish our goal ... of winning a World Series,” Semien said. “It’s a little bit more baseball, so we’ve got to focus on our health and staying strong toward the end of the season.”
Semien said the change, in the pandemicshortened season, is “a good thing, especially if players can benefit from it financially.” Manager Bob Melvin said, “If ever there’s a year to do it,” this is the one.
“It basically creates a pretty even playing field for just about anybody to get into this thing,” Melvin said. “I think this season will revolve around the postseason, and it’s probably the right thing to do this year.”
Oakland’s past three playoff appearances have been onegame wildcard losses, and the A’s have lost nine winnertakeall games in a row. Perhaps a bestofthree firstround series would be helpful should the team fall short of its goal of winning the AL West or, under this new system, finishing second.
“There’s more randomness injected in everything we do,” Forst said of the 60game season. “We’ve said in the past the playoffs are the most random time of year, no more so than onegame playoffs, which is convenient because we’re 03 in those games.
“Maybe going to two out of three is less random — but once you get 16 teams in a tournament format like that, anything can happen. You just need a twogame winning streak from the eighth seed for that team to move on. It will be fun for fans. In a 60game season, why not inject some fun into it?”
The A’s, a favorite for the playoffs before spring training in February, feel good about their chances in any format because of their strong pitching staff. “I like our starters in any playoff scenario,” Forst said. Lefthander Sean Manaea said he thinks the new format “doesn’t really make much of a difference” for the A’s.
“We we still think we’re going to be a playoff team, and we have that confidence going in,” Manaea said on a video call. “We’ve just got continue doing what we’re doing and get into the playoffs. Step one is to get there and figure it out from there.”