CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he's working on tightening up the 2010 playoff schedule so there will be fewer off days between games.
Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia criticized the current format after the New York Yankees and Angels played only eight games in 20 days going into Game 6 of the American League Championship Series.
"We're going to change it," Selig said on Wednesday. "I don't disagree with Mike Scioscia. I think he was right, so we're going to try and tighten that up."
Selig said he's still working on details for the new playoffs format.
"When you plan the playoff schedule, you don't know how many games the first round would go. So it's difficult," he explained. "There were clubs that sat around. Some were necessary, but some were not."
Starting in 2007, MLB added four extra days off during the playoffs at the request of its television partners, shifting the World Series opener to Wednesday from Saturday, usually the lowest-rated TV night of the week in the U.S.
At a meeting last week, general managers discussed factoring postseason performance into draft position, meaning the World Series winner would pick last. Drafting foreign players could also be a consideration, but that would be subject to collective bargaining.
"I don't know what the mechanics of that would be. Right now, really international is somewhat freeform," Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio added.
Under the current system, players outside the United States are not subject to the draft. They are free agents eligible to sign with any team.
Selig favors restructuring the draft, too.
"I've said it: We need a worldwide draft and we need a slotting system. There's no secret about that. It's fair," Selig reiterated.
