Could 2016 have been the start of a less exciting brand of MLB, with haves and have-nots so clearly established by the All-Star break that the second half of the season is more or less meaningless for determining postseason participants? During the first four seasons of the current 10-team playoff format (2012-2015), 11 different teams that would have been out of the playoffs at the All-Star break secured a postseason berth by the end of the regular season, with the yearly results being evenly distributed.
Projecting the National League playoff picture
