The October stage is set, and with it comes fresh debate over MLB’s controversial playoff rule that often punishes the top seed instead of rewarding them. Under the current format, the No. 1 seed must face the winner of the 4 vs. 5 Wild Card matchup, while the No. 2 seed gets the winner of the 3 vs. 6 series. That setup has created an awkward imbalance in this year’s American League Division Series.

The Seattle Mariners, the AL’s No. 2 seed, will host the Detroit Tigers. The M’s earned a bye after winning 90 games and the AL West division title, and their opponent, the Tigers, won 87 games and upset the Cleveland Guardians to advance.

On the other side, the Toronto Blue Jays, who claimed the No. 1 seed with 94 wins and a first-round bye, must face the New York Yankees, who also won 94 games and just knocked off the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round. Game 1 of this best-of-five series begins on October 4. For many Jays fans, though, the picture feels all wrong.

Fans argue Toronto is being punished for being the best. After grinding through 162 games to secure the top spot, their path looks far tougher than the Mariners’. Ryan Garcia summed it up on X: “The Blue Jays’ reward for winning 94 games and finishing as the no. 1 seed is the Yankees, while the Mariners, who finished as a lower seed, got the Tigers. Totally incentivizes winning regular season games, great format.”

The system was originally designed so that the No. 1 seed avoids playing another division winner. But the flaw is clear — the top Wild Card team (No. 4 seed) is often stronger than the weakest division champion (No. 3 seed). This season provides a perfect example, as the Blue Jays now face the powerhouse Yankees while the Mariners get the less formidable Tigers.

Controversy and MLB’s playoff system are inextricably linked. From deciding World Series home field through the All-Star Game, to the one-game Wild Card knockout that ended 95-win seasons overnight, to today’s seeding format that punishes the No. 1 seed, nearly every tweak has sparked backlash. Even the loss of the dramatic Game 163 and the refusal to reseed keep the debate alive. In October, baseball drama isn’t just on the field — it’s in the format itself.

The Blue Jays are just the latest victims of this format, forced to play another 94-win team.

“What the hell is the point?”… Fans sound off on the system

The first thread of reaction came from fans who felt that the season-long effort to secure the top seed had been made meaningless. “It’s insane this isn’t more of a talking point. What the hell is the point of getting the No. 1 seed if you have to pay an objectively better opponent?” While some fans research deeper and point to the specific rule that causes this mess, writing, “We’re even playing the higher seed too lmfao. How does it make sense that the #2 seed plays the worst division winner or the worst wild card team, while the #1 seed gets the two best wild card teams, who, like 90% of the time, are better than the worst division winner.” 

An analysis of MLB records from 2012-2022 shows the fans are right, as the top Wild Card team (the #4 seed) averaged 93.2 wins, while the weakest division winner (the #3 seed) or maybe the toughest competitor the #2 seed can face averaged only 91.8 wins in that period. This is definitely an imbalance.

Beyond the opponent, some argue the main reward can be a curse, not a blessing.  “I’ve been saying this for days, plus the fact that your lineup is now a week out of actual baseball action. Absolutely ridiculous.” If you claim it’s Brian Snitker’s fake account, we’ll not argue as they sound the same. For these fans, the five-day bye isn’t an advantage rather a momentum killer.

But not everyone thinks the system is broken. As one put it: “The thinking is sound. It just didn’t work out this year. The thinking is that the #1 seed doesn’t have to play a division winner. Turns out that the Yanks are better than the Tigers, who won their division. It worked out in the N.L. for the Brewers.” Yes, this fan has a point. But the “It just didn’t work out this year” claim is wrong. Because it almost did not work almost every next year since its implementation.

Then there’s the traditionalist take: the playoffs are supposed to be hard. As one fan said, “No… their reward for winning 94 games was advancing right to the ALDS. They got the bye and home-field advantage. Like, does the team just need a ticket straight to the World Series for you to be happy?” And we can’t argue that..

Then the solution? One fan wrote, “Let the #1 seed pick their ALDS matchup, the drama would be cinema.” Sounds interesting, right? What’s your take on it?