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MLB now allows 40% of its teams into a playoff system that compresses the quality gap between good and bad teams. There is more value to sneaking into the MLB playoffs than there is to sneaking into the NFL and NBA version. I’ve been saying for years that this would mean less active trade deadlines because of an imbalance between buyers and sellers. I’m not sure, three deadlines into this structure, that has been borne out.
2024: 17 buyers, 11 sellers, 2 both/did nothing/undefined
2023: 17 buyers, 9 sellers, 4 both/did nothing/undefined
2022: 12 buyers, 12 sellers, 6 both/did nothing/undefined
2021: 16 buyers, 13 sellers, 1 both/did nothing/undefined
2024: 17 buyers, 11 sellers, 2 both/did nothing/undefined
2023: 17 buyers, 9 sellers, 4 both/did nothing/undefined
2022: 12 buyers, 12 sellers, 6 both/did nothing/undefined
2021: 16 buyers, 13 sellers, 1 both/did nothing/undefined
