Since 1995, when the leagues split into six total divisions and MLB added two wild card entries, there have been eight playoff teams each year. Eight teams out of 30. So is adding two more teams—so that one-third of all clubs reach the playoffs—really going to make a big difference? You bet it will, and mostly for the better.

The opportunity to generate additional revenue—both for the teams and the league, but also for its television and advertising partners—is the most obvious reason why Major League Baseball wants to add two games to its postseason lineup. The sport is acting out of self-interest, yes; but the new system will have a trickle-down effect. Fans weren't clamoring for more playoff teams, but that doesn't mean they won't reap the benefits. Additional postseason spots mean more teams will be within range of the playoffs for a longer stretch of the season, which means more fans from more markets will be invested in the pennant race.

Say you're a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, an organization that hasn't reached the playoffs since 1993—thanks, in part, to their own failings, yes; but thanks more to the profligate franchises in Boston and New York. As things currently stand, Toronto needs to beat out the Yankees, the Red Sox, and a well-run organization in Tampa Bay in order to reach the playoffs. The odds of that happening in the current format are obviously miniscule. But with the addition of a second wild card, Toronto can actually reach the playoffs by finishing third in the American League East—where they finished eight times between 1998 and 2007. Short of instituting a salary cap, which is probably never going to happen, an additional wild card represents the best opportunity for the Blue Jays (or, dare to dream, the Baltimore Orioles) to reach the postseason.

And this is a bad thing? It's hard to see how.

Now, will this new system be flawless? Of course not. The season is already extremely long, and the addition of more rounds (however short) will only lengthen it. In addition to adding two wild cards, the new proposal calls for division ties to be settled with a one-game playoff, rather than the current system of comparing their records playing against each other—because the difference between winning the division and winning a wild card spot will now be stark. So, yes, there's a perfect storm out there that could drag the postseason into November. Will we survive? I think we might. (And there's a major positive consequence to adding a second wild card team: Teams will have the added incentive to win the division and avoid the one-game playoff. Right now there's little distinction between winning the division and winning the wild card. Both teams get to play in a five-game divisional series. )