Bernfield: Playoff rosters should be expanded to 30

While major-league teams are permitted to expand their rosters to 40 players from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season, those that earn playoff spots must reduce their roster back to 25.

It's done to mirror the roster size required during the regular season, but postseason baseball isn't played or managed like games in May or June. Winning in October requires a different strategy than in regular season.

That's why Major League Baseball should expand playoff rosters to 30 players. Managers should have the option to add five extra players to deploy in high-stakes, late-inning situations to optimize their rosters in the season's most important games.

Teams typically carry about 12 pitchers and 13 position players on their 25-man roster from April through August. This allows them to have five starting pitchers, seven bullpen pitchers, eight starting position players, and five options off the bench.

But this format is designed to provide managers the tools necessary to make it through a 162-game marathon, not the playoffs. In the postseason, teams rarely need more than four starting pitchers, and managers want specific tools for specific situations to provide them favorable matchups.

Suppose Bryce Harper steps to the plate in the seventh inning or later with runners in scoring position.

The opposing manager should have the ability to challenge him with a left-handed reliever, without having to risk burning through his bullpen too quickly.

If managers had two or three extra relief pitchers available, they could save that pitcher for the one critical matchup that earned him a spot on the roster and preserve other relievers for key situations later in the game.

What if a team is trailing by 1 run in the eighth inning, and a slow-footed batter singles?

The manager should be able to use a pinch runner without having to worry about risking an already limited bench if the game goes to extra innings as a result of this decision.

By adding two or three extra position players, teams could carry a player to the roster solely for the purpose of running the bases without sacrificing depth at another position.

Say Nationals righty Stephen Strasburg needs a few extra days to let his elbow recover from the injury that has sidelined him for much of the second half of the season. If the rosters were expanded, teams could add injured players to their playoff roster and use them if and when they're healthy enough to contribute.

And, teams good enough to reach the playoffs often have deep rosters with more than 25 useful players capable of helping them win a championship. Why shouldn't they be able to deploy all their weapons in the biggest games of the season?

Winning key matchups in October allows teams to advance in the postseason. Expanding the playoff rosters to 30 players would allow managers to match players with the right skill sets for specific situations, increasing the quality of competition and limiting attrition in the critical moments that define games and series.

• Jordan Bernfield is an anchor and co-host of "Inside The Clubhouse" on WSCR 670-AM The Score. He also works as a play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN. Follow him on Twitter@JordanBernfield.