Baseball. The once most watched sport in the USA, now sits in the 3rd position behind the NFL and NBA. The game of baseball isn’t dying; rather is evolving and facing many challenges. Baseball has been growing tremendously, but not just in the USA. Parts of the world in Asia and Latin America highlight the increasing number of international players. With over 162 games in the MLB regular season, there are times when ratings and viewership are low. The NBA was able to fix this issue with the addition of an In-Season Tournament. The “NBA Cup” was an unqualified success. With viewership up 20%, the MLB could do something similar in mid-June to early July. July often has lower average game viewership due to the All-Star break, fans on vacation, and less urgency to make a playoff push. Perhaps to fix this, MLB could spice up the middle of the regular season. Having this tournament will add intensity to these regular-season games and something to play for. In terms of fans, there will be a much “heavier” purpose to cheer for and increased viewership. Here are three formats that could span from mid-June to mid-July.
National League vs. American League Format
National League Record-Based Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
American League Record-Based Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
- All 30 teams (15 per league) get in
- Regular season records up to that point decide the seeding, division status does not matter
- Separate brackets for NL and AL
- NL and AL winners will play against each other for a the title in a championship game
- Single Elimination
- All games count towards regular season, aside from championship game
- 1st seeds in NL and AL receive first round bye
- Winning team obtains In-Season Tournament Cup
- Players receive cash + medals
- Winning team obtains automatic six-seed in MLB playoffs if needed (could have a condition such as must have _ amount of regular season wins to obtain playoff advantage)
- Winning team obtains tie-breaker privileges if needed (if it doesn’t need a six-seed), ex, 2018 Dodgers vs. Rockies tie-breaker game would’ve been unneeded if Dodgers or Rockies had won the tournament
- Winning team obtains a choice of home-field advantage if the other two options are unneeded
- Runner-up team could receive a portion of what the winning team receives
30 Team Record-Based Format
Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
- All 30 teams (15 per league) get in
- Regular season records up to that point decide the seeding, division status does not matter
- All 30 teams are seeded together by using regular season records
- Tie-breakers for seeding are decided by run differential
- Single Elimination
- All games count towards regular season, aside from championship game
- First and second seeds receive first round bye
- Winning team obtains the In-Season Tournament Cup
- Players receive cash + medals
- Winning team obtains automatic six-seed in MLB playoffs if needed (could have a condition such as must have _ amount of regular season wins to obtain playoff advantage)
- Winning team obtains tie-breaker privileges if needed (if it doesn’t need a six-seed), for example, the 2018 Dodgers vs. Rockies tie-breaker game would’ve been unneeded if Dodgers or Rockies had won the tournament
- Winning team obtains a choice of home-field advantage if the other swo options are unneeded
- Runner-up team could receive a portion of what the winning team receives
Regional Format
Western Region Record-Based Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
Central Region Record-Based Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
Eastern Region Record-Based Seeding (as of 06/17/2025):
Regional Double Elimination Final Bracket (Record-Based):
- All 30 teams (15 per league) get in
- Regular season records up to that point decide the seeding in each region; division status or league status does not matter
- Separate brackets for West, Central, and East
- Single Elimination for West, Central, and East brackets
- Seeds 7-10 must play a first round
- West, Central, and East winners will play in a double elimination format for title
- Of the three winners, the two teams with the lower regular-season records will play the first double-elimination game
- All games count towards regular season, aside from championship bracket games
- 1-6 seeds receive a “first round bye”
- Winning team obtains In-Season Tournament Cup
- Players receive cash + medals
- Winning team obtains automatic six-seed in MLB playoffs if needed (could have a condition such as must have _ amount of regular season wins to obtain playoff advantage)
- Winning team obtains tie-breaker privileges if needed (if it doesn’t need a six-seed), for example, the 2018 Dodgers vs. Rockies tie-breaker game would’ve been unneeded if Dodgers or Rockies had won the tournament
- Winning team obtains a choice of home-field advantage if the other two options are unneeded
- Runner-up team could receive a portion of what the winning team receives
- 3rd place team receives a smaller portion of what the second place team receives
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