There has been a lot of change happening in MLB over the past handful of seasons, and that it is expected to continue with the implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system.
That is now no longer the only shakeup that could be coming down the pipeline in the future for MLB. The topic of expansion and realignment came up during ESPN’s broadcast of the Little League Classic on Sunday.
Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the league’s interest in adding two expansion teams and the opportunities that could come with the move, which he sees as beneficial. Manfred explained that if there is MLB expansion, realignment is likely to be involved as well, via SNY:
“I can. You know, I think the first two topics are related in my mind. I think that if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel.
“And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you’d be playing out of the East, out of the West, in that 10 o’clock timeslot, where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim, would be two West Coast teams. That 10 o’clock slot that’s a problem for us sometimes, becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.
“I think the owners realize that there’s demand for Major League Baseball. We’re in a lot of great cities. We have the opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.”
The last time there was a realignment was in 2013, when the Houston Astros were moved from the National League Central to the American League West.
The change evened the amount of teams in each league with 15, while giving the AL West a fifth team to join the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers.
While the most recent desire to restructure the leagues is clearly motivated by profitability, realignment in MLB could have its merits if utilized correctly.
It could be a worthwhile endeavor if MLB can find a balance between geography, preserving the current leagues as much as possible, and maintaining meaningful divisional rivalries.
MLB’s expansion history
MLB last expanded in 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the NL and AL, respectively.
The league’s first expansion occurred in 1961, which saw the Angels and a new Washington Senators franchise join the AL. The new Senators replaced the original team, which had relocated and became the Minnesota Twins.
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