MLB Needs a Reset: Why a Return to the 1980s Format Could Save the Game
Baseball has always worn its traditions like a badge of honor. But in trying to modernize the game, Major League Baseball has drifted from the core of what made it great. With 30 teams, skyrocketing player salaries, chaotic playoff structures, and coast-to-coast matchups that defy geography and common sense, MLB has diluted the very product it once championed.
The solution? A reset—not into the past, but into a proven structure that worked. Bring back the essentials: 26 teams, two divisions per league, a simplified postseason, sensible scheduling, and yes—a real salary cap. It’s not nostalgia. It’s common sense.
Two Quick Fixes to Restore the Soul of the Game
Call me old-school, but it’s time to shut the roof on dome stadiums—permanently. Baseball is meant to be played outdoors. It should be hot. It should be cold. It should rain. That’s part of the experience. The sights, sounds, and unpredictability of the elements are inseparable from the essence of the sport. Domes sterilize the game. They strip away the charm of sun-drenched matinees and the magic of crisp night games under the lights.
Next: scrap the so-called "California Rule"—the automatic runner on second in extra innings. This is Major League Baseball, not Little League. That gimmick erases the very strategy and drama that define the late innings. There's a reason MLB ditches the rule in the playoffs. If it's not good enough for October, it's not good enough for April through September.
Trimming the League: Fewer Teams, Better Baseball
In the 1980s, MLB had 26 teams. Today, we have 30, and the four expansion franchises since 1993—Arizona, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Miami—have struggled to justify their existence.
Tampa Bay finished 27th in attendance in 2023 despite winning 99 games.
Miami was 29th, averaging barely 14,000 fans per game.
Arizona made a Cinderella run to the World Series—yet still drew fewer fans than the .500 Cubs.
Colorado remains a scenic draw thanks to Coors Field, but hasn’t been competitive since 2018.
Since their inception, these four teams have made the postseason a combined 12 times across more than 120 collective seasons. That’s an indictment. Contracting back to 26 teams would not only concentrate talent but also eliminate the dead weight dragging down the league competitively and financially.
Rebuilding the Divisions: East and West—Nothing in Between
In 1989, each league had just two divisions: East and West. And it worked. Rivalries were fierce. Travel was reasonable. Fans knew every division opponent like a bitter rival.
Today’s three-division format waters everything down. Central divisions are geographic redundancies. Interleague play has become so frequent it’s robbed the novelty from traditional matchups. And worse, MLB keeps trying to be the NFL—a national product. But baseball thrives on its regional roots.
The reality? The Orioles and Brewers aren’t going to pull national TV numbers. But Red Sox–Yankees? That still brings the fire. MLB should embrace its identity.
Let’s go back to:
Two divisions per league: East and West
Seven teams per division
Balanced intra-division schedules
The top team in each division makes the playoffs. The next two best records in each league, regardless of division, earn wild card spots. That’s it. No more 84-win teams sneaking in via a weak division title.
A Smarter Postseason: Four Teams, No Byes, All Action
Baseball is a rhythm game. You can’t hit a 99-mph fastball after five days off. Yet every October, we watch dominant regular-season teams falter after being handed a bye. The solution is simple: remove the byes.
Here's the revised format:
Two division winners in each league earn the top two seeds
The next two best records (wild cards) round out the field
All four teams play in a five-game Division Series:
#1 seed plays the lower-ranked wild card
#2 seed plays the higher-ranked wild card
No more three-game Wild Card rounds. No more five-day layoffs that kill momentum. All teams play. Every series counts. Fans get drama from the jump, and the best teams stay sharp.
Scrap the "Everyone Plays Everyone" Schedule
The universal schedule was supposed to bring fairness. Instead, it brought fatigue and apathy.
East Coast fans miss 10 PM games in Seattle and L.A.
Historic divisional rivalries get fewer games
Travel days pile up, with players paying the price
Baseball isn’t built for national showdowns every week. It’s not the NBA or the NFL. It thrives in city-to-city grudge matches and regional pride.
Revert to:
14–16 games vs. division rivals
Limited interleague matchups (1–2 series per year)
Geographic scheduling that reduces travel and maximizes energy
We don't need to see the Marlins play the A’s. We need Yankees–Red Sox, Giants–Dodgers, and Cubs–Cardinals.
Salary Cap Now—And Fewer Games, Too
Let’s talk dollars.
MLB is the only major North American pro league without a salary cap. The result?
In 2023, the Mets spent $343M on payroll—nearly five times the Orioles’ $70M.
From 2010 to 2023, only three teams with bottom-half payrolls won the World Series: the Royals (2015), Astros (2017*), and Braves (2021).
And who pays for that spending spree? The fans:
Average ticket price: $35.93 (up nearly 20% from 2015)
Average beer: $7.98
Average hot dog: $5.17
A family of four spends over $200 for a team that might already be out of the race by July.
Proposed fix:
Salary cap: $180 million per team
Salary floor: $100 million
Luxury tax escalators and repeat offender penalties—just like the NFL and NBA
And while we’re at it, trim the schedule back to 154 games—the standard before 1961. Sure, owners will argue this cuts revenue. But it’s a compromise:
Owners spend less, which they’ll welcome
Players get more rest and fewer injuries
Fans get higher-quality baseball in tighter windows
It’s not about taking money from players—it’s about making a better product.
A Better Baseball Tomorrow
The game isn’t broken. But it’s bloated.
Too many teams. Too many meaningless games. Too much financial disparity. Too little competitive balance. And postseason systems that favor rest over readiness.
Let’s get back to what works:
· 26 teams
· Two divisions per league
· Four playoff teams per league, no byes
· Regional, rivalry-driven scheduling
· A salary cap with a sustainable floor
· 154-game season with higher stakes
The 1980s brought grit, heart, and high-stakes baseball almost every night. With a few smart adjustments, that same spirit can once again lead baseball to the top of America’s sports landscape.
MLB doesn’t need more gimmicks—it needs a return to greatness.
Joey Henry is an independent sports columnist covering the Baltimore Orioles.
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I like a lot of your suggestions. But how much of the problem is a change in attitude of the owners? I see this across all the sports leagues. So many owners view their franchise as money making machines. They decided the best way to do that is to cut costs, usually by refusing to pay good players, and riding TV deals. How many MLB front offices are actually trying to win a world series?
Very nice article. I like almost all of your suggestions. Do you really need wild card teams though? Baseball was pretty compelling when two divisions winners went straight to the LCS. 162 games should be enough to prove whether or not you belong there. The last year that format was used (1993), the Giants lost on the last day of the season and missed the playoffs despite winning 105 games. That last week in the NL West was as good as a playoff series. And the World Series winner tended to be the best team in baseball; now it's usually whatever above-average team is playing on a hot streak in October.
Consolidated divisions would revive some broken rivalries. The Phillies and Pirates had classic battles for the NL East throughout the 1970s and 1980s and now they're just teams that play each other six times a year or so. Other regions probably have similar stories.
Despite my traditionalist inclinations, though, I need to say that I LOVE the pace of games after the pitch clock reforms.