How MLB's regional realignment could end historic rivalries
The New York Yankees and Mets could be in the same division. Same goes for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox. With the universal DH now well-established, radical realignment is likely coming to MLB over the next decade.
Baseball insiders have whispered about the possibility of regional-based realignment for a few years. MLB commissioner Rob Mandred was asked directly about it on Sunday night during an ESPN broadcast, and didn't shy away from his next bold rules change.
Manfred said expansion and realignment are intertwined, and offered the biggest insight yet into what baseball could look like in the future.
'I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you'd be playing out of the east and out of the west. And now that 10 o'clock time slot, where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim, it would be two West Coast teams in that 10 o'clock slot.'
'I think the owners realize that there is demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.'
Nashville and North Carolina have been the hottest candidates for expansion, but it's not rumored to happen until 2028 or 2029. Expansion still seems pretty far away at this point with nothing concrete about potential new markets, but if MLB has it their way, it will trigger widespread divisional realignment.
Imagine MLB's divisions look something like this:
East: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies
North: Blue Jays, Tigers, Guardians, Pirates
Mid-Atlantic: Orioles, Nationals, Braves, North Carolina team
South: Rangers, Astros, Rays, Marlins
Great Lakes: Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins
Midwest: Royals, Cardinals, Reds, Nashville
Southwest: Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Diamondbacks
West: Rockies, A's, Giants Mariners
This isn't exactly perfect and is more of a rough draft. Manfred has already instituted a couple radical ideas in his time as commissioner. The pitch clock has been an unmitigated success, and feels like one of the best sports rule changes in a while. Opinions may very on baseball's decision to put a runner at second base in extra innings, make the bases bigger (and easier to steal), and expand the playoffs.
At first blush, I don't like the look of realignment at all. It would be wrong to break up the Cubs and Cardinals from the same division, for example. Maybe the AL and NL don't really mean anything anymore now that everyone plays with the DH, but this change still feels too radical for my taste.
Still, the pitch clock was such a good idea that it proves big changes can work in baseball. Change is likely coming to baseball again, like it or not. This really feels like Manfred's boldest plan yet.
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