Realignment is coming to Main League Baseball. It’s not a matter of if, however when.
In some unspecified time in the future within the subsequent decade MLB goes to develop to 32 groups. Commissioner Rob Manfred has stated prior to now he hopes to have the 2 new golf equipment chosen by the point he retires in 2029, and lately on the Little League Basic he steered that second could be an excellent alternative for the league to geographically realign its divisions.
Rob Manfred says that MLB may geographically re-align if the league expands
(by way of @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/w1g510LIUS
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 18, 2025
“I feel (enlargement and realignment) are associated, in my thoughts,” Manfred stated. “I feel if we develop, it supplies us with a possibility to geographically realign. I feel we may save plenty of put on and tear on our gamers when it comes to journey. And I feel our postseason format could be much more interesting for entities like ESPN.”
Geographic realignment would have its advantages. Moreover higher journey and simpler logistics, Manfred additionally highlighted how the league would achieve from having extra video games that includes west coast groups in its late-night TV time slot, somewhat than the present scenario the place a lot of these video games characteristic an east coast group enjoying effectively after 10 p.m. of their residence market.
However left unsaid was one important potential downside.
It may imply the top of the American and Nationwide Leagues.
Whereas there is no such thing as a longer any significant distinction between the AL and NL now that each use a delegated hitter and each membership performs one another a minimum of as soon as a season, the leagues have been foundational pillars of the game for greater than a century.
Throwing that historical past away in favor of a sterile Japanese and Western League idea could be short-sighted, self-defeating and pointless.
Why? MLB can obtain its targets with out putting off the AL and NL. I’ll clarify.
The case for the AL and NL
So why are the AL and NL price retaining round?
For starters, baseball is a sport steeped in historical past and custom, and for greater than a century the AL and NL have served because the by line connecting generations of baseball greatness.
When you win American League MVP, you develop into a part of a lineage that traces again to Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle. When you win Nationwide League MVP, you be a part of a membership that features Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays.
It’ll be a very long time earlier than Japanese League MVP carries that sort of weight.
The leagues additionally function the reference level for nearly each statistical achievement you’ll be able to think about. Watch any baseball sport and in some unspecified time in the future you’re certain to listen to point out of how a participant has the perfect batting common within the AL for the month of August since Wade Boggs someday within the Eighties, or some stat alongside these traces.
Toss out the leagues and plenty of that goes away.
Historical past and custom is sweet, however I’m not naive to the truth that for homeowners and league executives, cash talks. So for these inclined to chase the almighty greenback, remember the fact that putting off the AL and NL may include some monetary drawbacks too.
A lesson to bear in mind? Much less is extra.
Suppose you scrap the AL and NL and create a blockbuster northeast division that features the Pink Sox, Yankees, Mets and Phillies. What a gauntlet that might be! Virtually each week you’d have an enormous time matchup that includes two of the largest manufacturers within the sport. What may go mistaken?
Nicely, if these massive matchups are taking place each week, then ultimately they’ll lose their luster. Individuals will lose curiosity, and the league will successfully water down what at the moment are a few of its marquee matchups. Having the AL and NL to offer a point of separation has helped guarantee crosstown rivalry collection just like the Yankees-Mets keep their juice, even when these groups play extra usually now than they ever did earlier than.
I’d additionally warning MLB to take a look at how realignment has impacted school sports activities. Whereas there are some exceptions, most faculties who’ve left their historic properties to affix a shiny new neighborhood just like the SEC, Massive Ten and ACC have seemed up years later to search out their wallets fats however their trophy case naked. Faculties that have been accustomed to successful on a regular basis all of the sudden discover it’s not really easy while you’re in the identical convention as powers like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and USC.
That division I steered with the Yankees, Pink Sox, Mets and Phillies? Yearly somebody has to return in final, and as we’ve seen right here in Boston lately, that’s not good for enterprise.
Now, even when the AL and NL have been to remain, realignment goes to need to occur anyway as soon as MLB expands to 32 groups. So how can the game greatest set itself for fulfillment within the years and a long time to return?
Small divisions a needed evil
After I began scripting this column I used to be absolutely ready to argue in favor of bigger, eight-team divisions as a substitute of smaller, four-team ones. 4 groups simply doesn’t really feel substantial sufficient, and for a good portion of MLB historical past each the American and Nationwide Leagues had eight groups apiece.
Bigger divisions would have higher match the game’s historical past and nature, plus it could have naturally aligned with the league’s present playoff construction. Two divisions per league means two division champions who may advance straight to the divisional spherical, leaving the following 4 groups to duke it out within the Wild Card collection.
Right here’s the issue. The maths simply doesn’t work.
Lots of you may disagree, however I’m an enormous fan of MLB’s present scheduling mannequin. I like that each group performs one another a minimum of as soon as, that groups throughout the similar league match up a minimum of twice in a home-and-home and that divisional rivals have 4 collection every.
That, to me, is ideal. The issue is you actually can’t pull that off you probably have eight groups in a division.
Grasp with me for a second. Let’s say you play one three-game collection in opposition to every of the 16 groups within the reverse league and two collection in opposition to every of the eight groups in your individual league’s different division. That would go away simply 66 video games to divide among the many remaining seven groups in your division, which equates to both 9 or 10 video games per opponent.
That’s solely sufficient for 3 collection per season. Is that sufficient for a divisional rival? I don’t suppose so.
The numbers come collectively a lot better with smaller divisions.
Let’s say we nonetheless have one collection every in opposition to the other league’s groups and two collection in opposition to the 12 golf equipment from your individual league’s different divisions. That would go away 42 video games to divide up between your three division rivals, which comes out to 14 video games per opponent, sufficient for 2 three-game and two four-game collection every.
Now we’re speaking.
This setup would additionally enable for the opportunity of lowering the size of the common season, one thing Jayson Stark of The Athletic lately reported is being thought of. Going with 12 video games per divisional opponent as a substitute of 14, or 4 three-game collection — would get you to 156 video games.
Or, for those who wished to go together with 154 video games, which was the size of MLB’s schedule for many years previous to enlargement, you may play a pair of two-game collection to exchange two of the three-game units in opposition to non-division opponents. Fewer video games means much less put on on gamers, and as Stark famous, a 154-game schedule would neatly divide all of contemporary baseball historical past into two eras, 154 video games and 162 video games.
What may new divisions appear to be?
So let’s say we determine we’re retaining the AL and NL, and we’re going with eight four-team divisions just like how the NFL is structured. Is it doable to divide issues up in such a manner that additionally emphasizes geographic proximity?
Sure, and it wouldn’t be as difficult as you may suppose.
A few issues earlier than we get to my suggestion. One, we don’t know the place the enlargement groups will probably be, however in line with a report from USA Today in July, Nashville and Salt Lake Metropolis are seen by MLB officers because the strongest markets. So for our functions we’ll go together with these.
Two, regardless that it could be greatest to protect the prevailing AL/NL dynamic and divisional buildings as a lot as doable, there may be precedent for shifting groups from one league to the opposite to assist deal with some form of imbalance.
We’ve seen it with the Brewers in 1998, the Astros in 2011, and after I was making an attempt to interrupt up every league into teams of 4, one swap turned obvious that might enable the entire puzzle to fall into place.
Right here’s what I’d recommend if I have been in cost.
AL East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Pink Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
Arguably baseball’s most iconic division stays largely unchanged. Why mess with perfection?
AL Central: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins
The present AL Central largely stays intact as effectively.
AL South: Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas Metropolis Royals, Texas Rangers
The Rockies within the American League? Sure, shifting the Rockies to the AL permits for the opportunity of a south-central pod that might additionally hold the 2 Texas groups collectively. The Royals could be a pure match right here too, and for those who have a look at a map of all present MLB golf equipment these 4 being grouped makes apparent sense.
AL West: Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Salt Lake Metropolis Growth Staff, Seattle Mariners
The remaining groups within the AL West are joined by a brand new, geographically wise rival. Salt Lake Metropolis is a two-hour flight from Seattle and fewer than that from each Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the place the Athletics will presumably be by the point all this shakes out. It’s additionally within the Mountain time zone, which might align higher with the incumbent AL West golf equipment than the Rangers and Astros, each of whom are within the Central.
NL East: New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals
Three present NL East groups are joined by the Pirates, who develop into division rivals with their cross-state foes in Philadelphia.
NL Central: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals
The remaining 4 NL Central groups stick collectively. Once more, no must mess with a successful formulation.
NL South: Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Nashville Growth Staff, Tampa Bay Rays
Keep in mind the swap I discussed earlier than? In change for the Rockies, the Nationwide League will get the Rays, who would enable for the creation of MLB’s first-ever deep south division. The newly created NL South would characteristic each Florida groups, the Braves in addition to the brand new Nashville enlargement membership, which might be solely a four-hour drive from Atlanta and supply the Braves with their first true geographic rival since transferring to the Peach State. Given how massive baseball is in SEC nation, it’s sort of loopy how underrepresented the area has been all through MLB historical past. No extra.
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
With the Rockies settled within the new AL South, the rest of the NL West stays as is.
Add all of it up and also you get 4 divisions that stay primarily unchanged, two extra that includes three current division rivals with one newcomer, and two new however geographically wise divisions that might both protect present rivalries or assist foster new ones.
The league will get what it needs, the gamers received’t need to log fairly so many miles and the game preserves one among its deepest rooted traditions.
One can solely hope that would be the case once we lookup 5 years from now and all of that is happening for actual.
