Major League Baseball has seen some significant changes over the years with new rules that made a noticeable impact on the way the game is played, and that is going to continue next season with the expected introduction of the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system.
There is also the possibility of change coming to the league of the league itself, with commissioner Rob Manfred hinting at MLB expansion and realignment.
If the league decides to expand, some believe it will result in the end of the current 162-game schedule, according to Jayson Stark of the Athletic:
One club official we spoke with this week casually referred to baseball’s current 162-game slog as “an endangered species.” Another longtime club executive, also granted anonymity so he could speak freely, was even more emphatic.
“Expansion,” he said, “means the end of 162.”
Of all the four major North American sports, MLB plays the largest amount of games by far. The NBA and NHL both have 82-game schedules, while the NFL has 17 games in an 18-week season.
Having added a 17th game for teams in 2021, there’s speculation the NFL may next increase its schedule to 18 games.
MLB reducing the number of games in the event of an expansion would become necessary for scheduling reasons.
However, there is no indication that there would be a drastic reduction in games, but simply enough to accommodate a 32-team league in the current format. A conservative estimate comes out to 156-game schedule.
MLB expansion and realignment?
The topic of expansion and realignment came up during ESPN’s broadcast of the Little League Classic.
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 if there is MLB expansion, realignment is likely to be involved as well.
The last time there was a realignment came 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.
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