One day before the start of the regular season, MLB and its players association are re-engaging on the possibility of an expanded postseason this fall.
One day before the start of the 2020 MLB regular season, the league and the players union are re-engaging on the possibility of an expanded postseason this fall, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
According to MLB Network, the change would have to be done prior to first pitch on Thursday and it would entail expanding the playoff field from 10 teams to 16 teams.
Throughout the negotiations this spring that led to the eventual July 23 start date, the league had proposed expanding the postseason field to 16 teams, though the eventual deal called for a standard postseason format in both field size and series length.
MLB is also dealing with other uncertainty on the eve of its season. While the 60-game regular season gets underway Thursday, the Blue Jays are in the process of finding a new home stadium for the upcoming season after Canada denied the team's request to play at Rogers Centre, citing health and travel concerns.
The Blue Jays are scheduled to open their season at Tampa Bay on Friday with their first home game occurring on July 29 against the defending champion Washington Nationals.
The regular season officially gets underway Thursday evening when the defending World Series champion Nationals host the New York Yankees. Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw out the first pitch before the game begins at 7:08 p.m. ET.
MLB will also debut a 'Black Lives Matter' stencil on mounds across the league in its opening week, the Nationals announced on Wednesday.