Commissioner Rob Manfred floated the idea of geographic realignment during the Little League Classic on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” this week, a possibility that seems to be contentious. Some love it, but others hate it. We’ll debate the nitty gritty at another time, but I have put together my own suggestions for a realignment.
What I will say is that to me, realignment seems inevitable, given that the MLB has said it is focused on expansion. When we start adding teams, it becomes impossible to sustain the current format — 30 teams divided evenly into two leagues with three divisions each. Adding more teams would simply result in imbalance among the divisions, leagues, or both. And with the current Wild Card playoff format, balance is essential. After all, that’s why the Houston Astros moved from the National League Central division to the American League West in 2013.
I have the expansion teams going to Charlotte and Nashville, two markets Manfred mentioned as potential locations for additional franchises on Sunday night. But that’s one of the many things to be sorted out over the next few years. I also eliminate the two leagues –– I see little purpose for them. For the playoffs, I’d take the eight division winners and add the top four non-division winners as wild cards.
However, in these discussions, we can’t lose sight of rivalries — and I’m not talking about manufactured rivalries that have developed because teams see each other 15-20 times a year (or used to). I’m talking about the rivalries the New York Yankees have with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, or the tension between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. Rather, we must adjust how we realign to maintain those rivalries that hold the potential to return baseball to the cultural phenomenon it once was.
So without further ado, here’s my proposal for realignment:
Proposed Realignment
East
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Mets
- New York Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
Pacific
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Francisco Giants
- San Diego Padres
- Los Angeles Angels
North
- Chicago Cubs
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins
South
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Miami Marlins
- Houston Astros
- Texas Rangers
Atlantic
- Atlanta Braves
- Charlotte (expansion)
- Baltimore Orioles
- Washington Nationals
Central
- Cleveland Guardians
- Detroit Tigers
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Pittsburgh Pirates
West
- Seattle Mariners
- Athletics
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
Midwest
- Kansas City Royals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Nashville (expansion)
- Cincinnati Reds
At the end of the day, no plan to reorganize the MLB will be perfect — there are too many critical variables for that. Under any plan, old rivalries will fade and new ones will develop, but there are some rivalries that can’t be duplicated. Finding a balance between the old and the new will be key.