The topic of Major League Baseball realignment is once again making headlines.
Published today on MLB.com was a article by John Schlegel, who says realignment talk now revolves around the game’s great rivalries.
Schlegel states:
“The Yankees and Red Sox, the two behemoths of the American League East, have cornered the market for playoff spots so much that something needs to be done,” some suggest.
Competitive balance can only be achieved to a certain extent through economics, so it is necessary to address it structurally by reorganizing baseball’s six divisions, some say.
A brief history of the realignment of MLB divisions and leagues looks like this:
1962: The New York Mets and the Houston Colts (who changed their nickname to the Astros in 1965) were added to the NL, creating 20 teams total and 10 teams split between the leagues.
1969: The East and West divisions were established when two teams were added to each league: the San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos in the NL, and the Seattle Pilots (Milwaukee Brewers) and Kansas City Royals in the AL .
Creation of 24 teams in total and a league of 12 distributed teams.
1977: The expansion included the Toronto Blue Jays, AL East and the Seattle Mariners, AL West.
26 teams in total and a difference of 12 to 14 championships.
1993: The Colorado Rockies, NL West and the Florida Marlins, NL East, have been added. This led Selig to create the three-division format.
28 teams in total and an even distribution of 14 teams.
1998: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, AL East, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, NL West, were created through expansion. The Detroit Tigers moved from the AL East to the AL Central and the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL Central to the NL Central.
Today, there are 16 teams in the NL and 14 in the AL: a six-team division in the NL Central and a four-team division in the AL West.
Geographically, the divisions are not ridiculous, unlike the NFL, which plays the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.
However, proponents of baseball realignment will say some things could improve.
First, it could help smaller market teams increase revenue by allowing opposing fans to travel with their team.
Second, it could balance the powers of the divisions, especially if each division has five teams.
The fact that other owners haven’t disputed that the AL West has a better playoff chance is baffling.
Third, it could create better regional rivalries, which were a big part of baseball when the AL consisted of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators, while the NL had the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Boston Braves.
Ultimately, it would be something new and exciting, especially if it was radical.
Let me be clear. I’m not calling for a complete overhaul of the system because, in reality, that’s almost impossible to do.
I also know that no system is perfect.
However, if the impossible were possible and money, ownership and fan outrage were no object, here is how I would realign baseball:
The first step: Needing a model to start with, the traditional American and national leagues will remain, along with the three-division format.
Second step : Each league needs an even split of 15 teams, and each division needs an equal number of teams: five.
Third step: Keep traditional rivals together.
That means Yankees-Red Sox, Giants-Dodgers, Cubs-Cardinals and Mets-Phillies — which have ramped up the passion in recent years — will remain.
Step four: Create new regional rivals.
That means Rangers-Astros, Orioles-Nationals, Rays-Marlins and Dodgers-Angels have to start hating each other.
Fifth step: Remove division names.
How come there are East, Central and West divisions in each league? Do the divisions really have to match?
Wouldn’t it make sense for the Midwest franchise to play in a Midwest division? Where do southern franchises play in the South?
It’s understandable why the Marlins and Rayes are currently in the East. But geographically, they are warm climate teams. The same goes for the Braves, Astros and Rangers.
Put these five teams together and the new NL South is born.
The Texas rivalry needs to be established and the southern triangle – Atlanta, Miami and Tampa – could perhaps bring some excitement to Southern baseball.
Another factor that helps the NL South is that the Braves and Astros hold their spring training near Orlando, which helps build a nice regional fan base when they visit Tampa, located an hour and a half away. half to the west.
Other new divisions created are.
NL Midwest: Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, Rockies and Diamondbacks
Denver is 850 miles west of St. Louis and 1,000 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Arizona needed to be put somewhere. This division is best suited because most retirees, who live in the state, are fans of the Cubs, Cardinals or Reds.
AL North: Mariners, Twins, Brewers, White Sox and Royals
Because not every team has an exorbitant budget, the Royals belong to this group of franchises. Plus, the cities and fans fit well – at least I think so.
If you’re considering making an argument against Seattle, remember that The Emerald City is located closer to Alaska than any other MLB team. Can you really argue against that?
The divisions that remain similar are:
AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Nationals, Indians
All in the same division, we maintain traditional rivalries and create new ones.
Baltimore fans, of course, won’t be happy staying in the same division as New York and Boston. But there is a good side.
The Nationals and Indians are currently rebuilding — that may not be the case with Washington in a few seasons — and the chance to at least be competitive for third place is there every season, especially with Tampa Bay moving to the South.
Plus, owners can’t complain too much when the Yanks and Sox fill their stadiums 10+ times a season, which is what the Indians want, right?
NL East: Mets, Phillies, Blue Jays, Pirates and Tigers
This division probably changes the most and looks awkward as teams from all over create an intriguing setup.
Pairing Toronto and Detroit could create a North-South rivalry, while fans from New York, Philly and Pittsburgh could argue every season.
AL West: Giants, Dodgers, Athletics, Angels, Padres
Also known as the California Division or the Save Travel Miles Division, the new AL West could really generate interest because the state and its residents really love each other.
For MLB, this works well because every season at least one California team will make the playoffs. So even if the Dodgers or Angels aren’t playing, jumping on the bandwagon won’t be difficult.
It’s clear that changing the dynamics of baseball isn’t easy.
However, baseball fans are always looking for ways to grow and expand the game in positive ways.
This is my solution. What is your?
