MLB Realignment - An Unprecedented Opportunity

Enhance existing rivalries, promote new rivalries with a radical re-alignment

Well, Major League Baseball appears set in the next five to ten years to join its brethren, the National Football League and the National Hockey League, as 32-member professional sports associations.

And, with that expansion, a once in a lifetime opportunity to radically realign the diamond landscape on a more geographic friendly basis while retaining and developing rich rivalries is presented to the MLB powers that be.

Nobody asked me but, here is my way too early suggestion on realignment.

For the sake of this exercise, let’s make four assumptions:

1. Salt Lake City is added as an expansion team

2. Nashville is added as an expansion team

3. The Athletics relocate to Las Vegas

4. The Rays remain in Tampa

PROPOSAL #1

If those four scenarios come to pass, here is a radical suggestion for 8 divisions of 4 teams each:

National League
Far West: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers
Plains: Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Houston, Texas
Mid-South: Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
South: Miami, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville

American League
Northeast: Toronto, Boston, New York Yankees, New York Mets
Mountain: Colorado, Arizona, San Diego, Las Vegas
Great Lakes: Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee, Minnesota
Midwest: Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland

Schedule option 1:

• 18 games against 3 division opponents = 54

• 9 games against other 12 league opponents = 108

• 162 games. No interleague play

Schedule option 2:

• 16 games against 3 division opponents = 48

• 8 games against other 12 league opponent = 96

• 4 games against one division in other league = 16

• 160 games. Limited interleague play

Post-season:

• Four division winners and two non-division winners with best records qualify for post-season.

• Same structure as current—two teams with best record earn first-round byes. 3 seed plays 6 seed, 4 seed plays 5 seed. 1 seed plays lowest remaining winner of first round games, 2 seed plays other first round winner.
  

PROPOSAL #2

National League
West: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Salt Lake City, Arizona, San Diego, Las Vegas
East: Miami, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Nashville, Baltimore, Washington, Houston, Texas

American League
Northeast: Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit
Midwest: Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati

Schedule option 1:

• 12 games against 7 division opponents = 84

• 8 games against other 8 league division opponent = 64

• 3 games against one division in other league = 12

• 160 games. Limited interleague play

Schedule option 2:

• 14 games against 7 division opponents = 98

• 6 games against other 8 league division opponents = 48

• 4 games against one division in other league = 16

• 162 games. Limited interleague play

Post-season:

• Two division winners and four non-division winners with best records qualify for post-season

• Same structure as current—division winners earn first-round byes. 3 seed plays 6 seed, 4 seed plays 5 seed. 1 seed plays lowest remaining winner of first round games, 2 seed plays other first round winner.

Adding two teams, particularly in the fast-growing, engaged cities of Salt Lake City and Nashville, offers Major League Baseball the opportunity to realign along sensible geographic lines, sustain long-standing rich rivalries, and cultivate new, stimulating engagements. Traditionalists may be appalled, but the opportunity presented is too enticing to let slip by like a batting practice fastball when a change-up was expected. Swing for the fences, MLB!

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