MLB Expansion - Jim Bowden /The Athletic

[metirish]

I have read this several times, obviously this is a slow news time for MLB and Bowden gets paid to write stuff. Jim has definitely got people talking.





Another MLB season is almost here, and despite the many changes to the game this year — from new rules to a new schedule — 30 teams from six divisions will take the field on Opening Day, as they have for 25 years. But make no mistake, expansion is coming, and when it eventually arrives, it could — and should — lead to a radical realignment of the league.



When I spoke to commissioner Rob Manfred at the World Series last October, I asked if expansion was still on the table, and he assured me it was. Manfred said, as he has for many years, that the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland A's respective stadium issues must be resolved first, and he acknowledged that has taken much longer than expected.



But it's clear the commissioner and the club owners he represents want to expand to 32 teams soon. What's less clear is “where to?” and “what's next?”



Manfred hasn't indicated what cities could be the front-runners, though he has previously named potential expansion locations such as Nashville (Tenn.), Charlotte (N.C.), Portland (Ore.) and Las Vegas, as well as Montreal and Vancouver in Canada. (The Athletic recently examined four of those options in stories that we've linked to here.)



So, once the stars align for expansion, what's next for baseball?



It's way too early to say, of course. But when MLB finally expands to 32 teams, it should seize the opportunity to implement a dramatic geographic realignment of the sport. The league could do so while maintaining the American League and National League framework, but a complete overhaul would arguably maximize revenue and certainly improve the travel burden on teams.



MLB has carefully considered geographic realignment for years, and Manfred cited “a more geography-based alignment” as a benefit of expansion in an interview with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal in 2018.



It's impossible to predict what will happen because there are so many expansion variables and scenarios. Yes, the AL and NL could survive. But I think the move to 32 teams is the perfect time to do away with those leagues and form Eastern and Western conferences consisting of four geographically-aligned divisions apiece. Four teams per division, 16 teams per conference. With significantly more interleague play (46 games per team per season, starting this year) and the universal designated hitter, there's no reason — beyond tradition and losing some rivalries — to keep the present infrastructure.



Think about what MLB would gain. Leaning into geographic rivalries would likely increase attendance and excitement in the regions where each team is located. Imagine divisions that featured the Mets and Yankees, Dodgers and Angels, Giants and A's, Royals and Cardinals, Rangers and Astros, Marlins and Rays, and Orioles and Nationals. It would be easier for fans to travel to see their teams play.



MLB could maintain the 12-team postseason field, with six clubs from each conference — the four division winners and two wild-card berths — and the playoffs could be structured in a similar manner to last year if desired. Or not!



So what could the new conferences and divisions look like? Just for fun, here's the Bowden Realignment Plan. (For this exercise, I included Charlotte and Nashville as the expansion cities, both in the Eastern Conference, and left open the possibility of the A's remaining in Oakland or moving to Las Vegas.)







Eastern Conference

East Division

Boston Red Sox

New York Mets

New York Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies



North Division

Cincinnati Reds

Cleveland Guardians

Detroit Tigers

Toronto Blue Jays





Mid-Atlantic Division

Baltimore Orioles

Charlotte expansion team

Pittsburgh Pirates

Washington Nationals



Southeast Division

Atlanta Braves

Miami Marlins

Nashville expansion team

Tampa Bay Rays





Western Conference

Midwest Division

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

Milwaukee Brewers

Minnesota Twins



Southwest Division

Houston Astros

Kansas City Royals

St. Louis Cardinals

Texas Rangers





Pacific Coast Division

Colorado Rockies

Oakland/Las Vegas A's

Seattle Mariners

San Francisco Giants



West Division

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres





Can you imagine the EC East? You'd have the New York rivalry of the Yankees and Mets combined with two of the other biggest markets in the sport, Boston and Philadelphia. All four would duke it out in the same division, without a single small-market team having to worry about the payroll disparities.





Or how about the WC West? You'd get all the Southern California teams along with the Diamondbacks — making home and away travel more feasible for avid fans. And in the WC Pacific Coast, the Seattle Mariners players will get a bit of a reprieve, with road division games that are closer than what they're dealing with now.



Bottom line: Geographic realignment would enhance the schedule and save teams considerable time and expense that's currently consumed by unnecessary travel. I hope to see it happen when MLB expands, and the sooner the better. How about you?

[Benjamin Grimm]

At this point, why not?



I do hope that a team ends up in Las Vegas, because Nevada is a potential retirement destination for me. I'd be able to see the Mets come to town every other year.

[metirish]

Certainly trending this way

[TransMonk]

The time to do this was before they implemented the universal DH last season rendering the NL/AL distinction essentially meaningless.



I feel like all of these slow rule changes enacted each year would really confuse new fans.

[Edgy MD]

I'm a broken record, but MLB could expand infinitely just by dropping affiliation and inviting promotion and relegation.

[metirish]

Edgy MD wrote: I'm a broken record, but MLB could expand infinitely just by dropping affiliation and inviting promotion and relegation.

Now that would be amazing

[Benjamin Grimm]

This will (thankfully) never happen.

[Edgy MD]

YOU DON'T KNOW!



TO HELL WITH THE OLIGOPOLY!!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: TO HELL WITH THE OLIGOPOLY!!

Is that a Double-A team somewhere?

[metirish]

Remember when the 2002 Bobby V Mets imploded and got relegated? Steady hand Art Howe was brought in as he had experience getting teams back into the top flight .... Imagine such a scenario

[A Boy Named Seo]

I love vacationing in coastal Denver.

Edgy MD wrote: I'm a broken record, but MLB could expand infinitely just by dropping affiliation and inviting promotion and relegation.

Yes, please.

[Frayed Knot]

=metirish post_id=117966 time=1675953718 user_id=72]


Eastern Conference

East Division

Boston Red Sox

New York Mets

New York Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies



North Division

Cincinnati Reds

Cleveland Guardians

Detroit Tigers

Toronto Blue Jays





Mid-Atlantic Division

Baltimore Orioles

Charlotte expansion team

Pittsburgh Pirates

Washington Nationals



Southeast Division

Atlanta Braves

Miami Marlins

Nashville expansion team

Tampa Bay Rays





Western Conference

Midwest Division

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

Milwaukee Brewers

Minnesota Twins



Southwest Division

Houston Astros

Kansas City Royals

St. Louis Cardinals

Texas Rangers





Pacific Coast Division

Colorado Rockies

Oakland/Las Vegas A's

Seattle Mariners

San Francisco Giants



West Division

Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres

[Benjamin Grimm]

I agree. I'd rather see them add six teams and have six divisions of six teams each.

[bmfc1]

1. Bowden's a jackass, a know-nothing. I click the "frowny face" at the end of each of his rambling, poorly-written, columns.

2. If you're going to create 8 divisions and only 4 WCs then putting the Mets with superior teams (NYY, BOS, PHI) is a huge disadvantage when BAL/WSH/PIT/"Charlotte" are competing for one spot as well.

[Fman99]

Yeah luckily Bowden is pulling all of these proposed ideas out of his keester.



As for relegation, it's too un-American to ever happen here (and TFG for that, I might add). It's one step removed from asking baseball players to stop using their hands on the field. #nosoccer

[metirish]

Dodgers and Giants not in the same division is criminal

[Edgy MD]

=Fman99 post_id=118032 time=1675970241 user_id=86]
Yeah luckily Bowden is pulling all of these proposed ideas out of his keester.



As for relegation, it's too un-American to ever happen here (and TFG for that, I might add). It's one step removed from asking baseball players to stop using their hands on the field. #nosoccer

[nymr83]

Frayed Knot wrote: =metirish post_id=117966 time=1675953718 user_id=72] Eastern Conference East Division Boston Red Sox New York Mets New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies North Division Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Toronto Blue Jays Mid-Atlantic Division Baltimore Orioles Charlotte expansion team Pittsburgh Pirates Washington Nationals Southeast Division Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins Nashville expansion team Tampa Bay Rays Western Conference Midwest Division Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Southwest Division Houston Astros Kansas City Royals St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers Pacific Coast Division Colorado Rockies Oakland/Las Vegas A's Seattle Mariners San Francisco Giants West Division Arizona Diamondbacks Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres

Four team divisions suck.

This can not be said often enough or loudly enough.



The NFL this year had two, and came real close to having four, sub-.500 teams in their playoffs, something that smaller divisions and a smaller pct of intra-division games makes MUCH more likely.

And in several divisions where there was a winning team the division 'race' was over around mid-season.



Any idea with this as the main part of its format needs to be fought on all fronts.

[Benjamin Grimm]

How about this, for six divisions of six:



EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

New York Mets

New York Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies

Washington Nationals



EASTERN CONFERENCE GREAT LAKES

Cincinnati Reds

Cleveland Guardians

Detroit Tigers

Montreal Expos

Pittsburgh Pirates

Toronto Blue Jays



EASTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHEAST

Atlanta Braves

Charlotte Knights

Miami Marlins

Nashville Sounds

Orlando Fire Frogs

Tampa Bay Rays



WESTERN CONFERENCE GREAT LAKES

Chicago Cubs

Chicago White Sox

Kansas City Royals

Milwaukee Brewers

Minnesota Twins

St. Louis Cardinals



WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST

Arizona Diamondbacks

Colorado Rockies

Houston Astros

Las Vegas A's

San Antonio Missions

Texas Rangers



WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC

Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Dodgers

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants

Seattle Mariners

Vancouver Canadians

[batmagadanleadoff]

Bowden's idea is nutso. The richest teams in the same division? I guess the less wealthy teams would love that, and that's most of the teams. Let's fuck Steve Cohen every which way possible.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Why.not a handicap, too? The NY teams have to win 101 games to make the playoffs.

[Edgy MD]

An original goal of division play was to shrink the size of divisions because the teams lower than sixth in the standings were largely considered hopelessly bad draws because of their seeming utter irrelevancy.

[TransMonk]

=nymr83 post_id=118037 time=1675972877 user_id=54]I would realign to only FOUR divisions of 8 teams each

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

=metirish post_id=118033 time=1675970533 user_id=72]
Dodgers and Giants not in the same division is criminal

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: An original goal of division play was to shrink the size of divisions because the teams lower than sixth in the standings were largely considered hopelessly bad draws because of their seeming utter irrelevancy.

Right, but just because twelve was considered too large when it came time for the 1969 expansion to 24 teams doesn't mean that it should shrink from the already shrunken number of five.

And while, yes, Bowden is just spouting off with no real authority behind what he proposes, it bothers me that whenever I see this kind of what/if scenario the majority immediately jump to

the simple math of an 8x4 set-up. My fear is that MLB will do the same thing without once considering that there even is a downside much less allowing it to factor into their decision. They'll

be too busy patting themselves on the back and receiving plaudits from the media for having the 'wisdom' to follow exactly in the NFL's footsteps.

[Frayed Knot]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: =metirish post_id=118033 time=1675970533 user_id=72] Dodgers and Giants not in the same division is criminal

Yup. So is breaking up the cubs and Cardinals

[Fman99]

I had a similar thought this morning. A realigned NL East of NYM, PHL, WAS & PIT makes sense to me, assuming that at some point MLB will go to 8 divisions of 4 teams. Let ATL & MIA pick up some other pair of local teams (Tampa + some expansion team in the Carolinas?).



Same thing on the AL East side - NYM, BAL, BOS and some 4th team that is geographically not too far flung (TOR, CLE, or DET being the most logical choices, probably TOR which would allow them to keep CLE & DET in the same revised division with the White Sox).

[Fman99]

My realigned divisions would look like this:



NL East



NYM

PIT

PHL

WAS



NL Central



CIN

CHC

STL

MIL



NL South



ATL

MIA

TB

Charlotte?



NL West



LAD

SD

SF

ARI



AL East



NYY

TOR

BOS

BAL



AL Central



CWS

CLE

DET

MIN



AL Midwest



TEX

HOU

COL

KC



AL West



SEA

LAA

OAK

Las Vegas?

[kcmets]

Put me down for 'leave it the way it is and stop futzin' around.'



And pull up your fly.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy MD wrote: An original goal of division play was to shrink the size of divisions because the teams lower than sixth in the standings were largely considered hopelessly bad draws because of their seeming utter irrelevancy. Right, but just because twelve was considered too large when it came time for the 1969 expansion to 24 teams doesn't mean that it should shrink from the already shrunken number of five. And while, yes, Bowden is just spouting off with no real authority behind what he proposes, it bothers me that whenever I see this kind of what/if scenario the majority immediately jump to the simple math of an 8x4 set-up. My fear is that MLB will do the same thing without once considering that there even is a downside much less allowing it to factor into their decision. They'll be too busy patting themselves on the back and receiving plaudits from the media for having the 'wisdom' to follow exactly in the NFL's footsteps.

Yes, I'm certainly not advocating for shrinkage.



I guess folk (like me) talk about baseball so much that there are always ideas that baseball is full of "problems" waiting to be solved. I think we misunderstand that the "problem" that seems most present is the one most pressing to be solved.



Sometimes the nascent problem is the one that is most noxious, and tackling the present one just sets the nascent one to the surface.



I've been drawing up realignments since fifth grade. In the end, it's just a power trip. The real problems are the ones they never talk about it, because the administration of baseball is beholden to the cartel.