Nine MLB Expansion and Realignment Scenarios
Normally, I’d say MLB’s proposal to expand the playoffs was the most ridiculous Rob Manfred-ism in a while, but it’s been a pretty crazy offseason. What with a horrendously botched cheating scandal, the proposed defenestration of 42 minor league teams, the Mookie Betts trade that almost wasn’t, and the robo strike zone, I’m not sure watering down the postseason cracks the top five worst baseball storylines of the winter. All the same, it remains a Very Bad Idea.
Be that as it may, I could live with the engorged postseason if MLB also expanded to 32 teams. There hasn’t been much talk of that lately, but last year Manfred did say the league would like to add two teams once the Rays and A’s have new ballparks.
The league, which last expanded in 1998, has some tidying up to do, but for Commissioner Rob Manfred, he envisions a team in the Pacific and Eastern time zones. “Baseball is a growth industry,” Manfred said. “Eventually, we’d like to get to 32 teams.”
Maury Brown, “MLB Expansion: Examining 6 Possible Locations To Add Teams,” Baseball America
Needless to say, MLB expansion would require realignment as well. Assuming expansion teams in Montreal and Portland (feel free to disagree or substitute your own locations), here are nine MLB expansion/realignment scenarios. Choose your preference based on how much you want the world to burn.
Please, let me explain myself.
Lawful Good
Two leagues, eight divisions, no league switching. Nice and tidy. Every team is relatively close to their division mates geographically. Montreal joins the NL Northeast with the Mets, Phillies, and Pirates. The AL West accepts Portland into a group with the Angels, A’s, and Mariners. If you prefer four divisions instead of eight, it’s easy enough to just combine the AL East and Midwest, the AL Central and West, the NL Northeast and Southeast, and the NL Central and West. With either four divisions or eight, Lawful Good is the most likely real-life scenario.
Lawful Neutral
Let’s say you’re particularly attached to the two leagues, six divisions format. That will create imbalance, as 32 isn’t divisible by six. There’s precedent for this, as the AL and NL Wests featured four teams each from 1994-97 while the other divisions had five. A benefit of this format is that no existing teams switch leagues or divisions, but Montreal and Portland are added as sixth teams in the NL East and AL West.
Lawful Evil
Here we truly begin our descent into blasphemy. This structure retains the neat eight-division format described in Lawful Good, but with a European football twist. Each year, the four worst teams are relegated to triple-A, and the four teams that reach the International and Pacific Coast League championships get promoted. Based on last year’s standings, we say goodbye to the Marlins, Orioles, Royals, and Tigers. Taking their places would be Columbus, Durham, Round Rock, and Sacramento, as well as the expansion Montreal and Portland clubs.
Neutral Good
What’s the point of leagues, anyway? Let’s just eschew the AL and NL altogether and group divisions based on geography, sort of like the NBA and NHL. This reduces long-distance travel as much as possible. Besides, wouldn’t it be fun to see the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and expansion Montreal all play in the same division?
True Neutral
Again, we’ll keep the clunky six-division format, but group teams based purely on geography. What’s even more fun than Yankees/Mets/Red Sox/Montreal? Throwing in the Phillies as well!
Neutral Evil
Regular season be damned. Let’s just throw everything into a giant bracket, like the second round of March Madness. Make each series best of seven, or nine, or 37; I really don’t care. Half of the teams would end their season really early, but that’s the penalty for sucking.
Chaotic Good
I’m sorry. I’m just…it’s just… I’m so, so sorry.
Chaotic Neutral
In 1871, nine professional base ball clubs banded together to form the National Association- the first-ever league. (The National League would follow five years later.) Historians differ on whether this should be considered a major league, but it was a watershed moment in American sports history all the same. What if they just… didn’t? Why not just let all the teams barnstorm. They can schedule their own games with whichever opponents will agree to have them, sort of like out-of-conference NCAA games. The Yankees and Red Sox want to play 70 times? Fine! The only team willing to visit Tampa Bay is the local American Legion? Them’s the breaks!
Chaotic Evil
The elevator has reached the ground floor of Dante’s Inferno. Just let the Astros, Dodgers, and Yankees duke it out all season long. The other 29 can scrap with each other. Don’t even ask me what schedules or playoffs look like. I know which league I’m watching.
