Baseball’s Postseason Is Evolving, for Better or Worse

With 40 percent of teams qualifying for the playoffs, and four teams getting first-round byes, October will have a very different feel. And plenty of new merchandise.

Paul DeJong and the St. Louis Cardinals won the N.L. Central, but as the lowest-seeded division winner they have to play in the wild-card round.Credit...Jeff Roberson/Associated PressST. LOUIS — Baseball people never use the word tournament. Like points, referees and doping, it is just not part of the sport’s lexicon.

Yet Major League Baseball is big on brackets now, with Friday’s introduction of a new tier of playoffs: Eight teams are taking part in four best-of-three series, with the higher seed in each matchup hosting every…