I like the NBA’s in-season tournament. Getting beyond the obvious, that no league does anything unless there are chances to make money, the concept was to convince the players to care earlier in the season and thus to get fans to care before Christmas as well.

Mission seems accomplished.

It is not the playoffs. But the best players are generally playing rather than load-managing, and the games have had a greater intensity than normal in November. Players reach the highest level, in part, because they have outsized competitiveness to fuel their outsized talent. So give them a reason to intensify — money, a trophy, bragging rights — and the result often will be a better product.

Baseball should take a cue from the NBA and create greater reasons for clubs to put their best players on the field regularly and for fans to invest at a higher level throughout the season.