I have always been one of those fans that doesn’t like to reward losing. Once you get to a certain level of play in sports, winning is the name of the game. We cannot pull a Jill Biden and invite the second-place team to the White House.

I see now in sports that every organization wants to expand the playoffs to add more teams to it. Obviously, it makes sense for financial reasons but it is only delaying the inevitable: they’ll lose.

The Minnesota Twins, our hometown team, is currently on a five-game losing streak and was just swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals. The Royals currently have the second-worst record in baseball, just two games ahead of the Oakland A’s as of Aug. 1.

However, despite the Twins losing more often lately than winning, Minnesota sits in first place in the American League Central Division. Now I can’t predict how the last 55 games of the season will turn out but it is clear now that if they’re only one game above .500, the other four teams must have losing records.

Every team in the AL East is above .500 and has a better record than the Twins. I love baseball and love the postseason even more but you have to wonder if the playoffs need to be restructured. Right now, three of the seven playoff spots in each league go to division winners.

Minnesota has the 10th-best record in the American League at this point. They would obviously be out of the playoffs but because of their division, they get home-field advantage in their first series. On the other hand, star players like Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rafael Devers, Shohei Ohtani and more would all be on the outside looking in.

Something needs to change and, truthfully, I hope it’s the Twins’ record. I am hoping they get on a roll and start winning games, but the reality is with 55 games left and the Cleveland Guardians only a game behind, it will be difficult for them to create separation.

Rewarding losing is no fun and I see it as among the chief reasons for the MLB’s decline in viewership. The postseason isn’t consistently featuring the best players in the world.

Professional baseball playoffs shouldn’t be treated like a participation trophy. This is we pay players to do their job to the best of their abilities and, if the results don’t match the pay, they shouldn’t be rewarded. Wins and losses happen, but we shouldn’t let teams make it to the postseason just because their division is lousy

Pick the best of the best even with expansion and let’s see who can beat who regardless of division. The MLB should take a hard look to do it by conference next year and beyond.

Losing shouldn’t be rewarded as a lover of sports, it’s tiring to see teams make playoffs with sub-.500 records and get destroyed in the process.

MLB, please do something.