Major League Baseball is inching slowly towards a realignment that will destroy the foundation of the game and remove the American League and National League designation of a slew of teams.
This will likely take many years to implement, but it is the way Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred would like to take the game. The first tiny step toward this reality was taken when the owner of the Oakland A’s signed a binding agreement to purchase land in Las Vegas this week for the purpose of moving the A’s from Northern California to the gambling mecca.
If all goes smoothly for the A’s organization – and there are still multiple hurdles to clear – the team will have a new 35,000-seat stadium in Las Vegas that will open in 2027.
The A’s have basically been ordered to resolve their stadium situation by Major League Baseball and so have the Tampa Bay Rays. Once both of those things happen, expansion to 32 teams is likely to happen from the current level of 30 teams.
Some of the cities that will be considered for expansion include Portland, Nashville, Charlotte, Montreal and Vancouver.
Former major league executive Jim Bowden, currently a baseball analyst for The Athletic, outlined a plan earlier this year for Major League Baseball to navigate a “radical realignment” based on geography once the A’s and Rays solidify their new stadium plans and the expansion is completed.
PROMOTED
Bowden identified a conversation he had with Manfred at last year’s World Series confirming the expansion plans. The former executive said MLB needs to realign so it can “maximize revenue” and ease the travel burden that Major League teams face.
Bowden’s trial balloon included the end of the American League and the National League. Instead, he proposed the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
Here’s how the new alignment would look:
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Boston Red Sox
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers
Toronto Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles
Charlotte expansion team
Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
Nashville expansion team
Tampa Bay Rays
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Texas Rangers
Colorado Rockies
Oakland/Las Vegas A’s
Seattle Mariners
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Bowden points out with great excitement and fervor how wonderful the new alignment would be for the sport, using the Eastern Conference East Division as the “heavyweight” division and the fairness of reducing travel for the Seattle Mariners in the Pacific Coast Division.
These ideas are almost certainly in lock step with what Manfred would like to see happen to the sport, but it is the most short-sighted and destructive plan the sport could come up with.
The foundation of baseball has been the identity of the two leagues. Putting the New York Yankees and the Mets in the same division is foolish. Taking the Mets out of the National League and having them compete with the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis would further weaken the rivalries that have been watered down by interleague competition.
The same holds for the Cubs and White Sox in the same division. Chicago’s teams are split by north side and south side, and the disdain for the Cubs by White Sox fans is real, while Cubs fans tend to pay no attention to the White Sox. Homogenizing the rivalry helps nobody.
Look at some of the other divisions and discover that the St. Louis Cardinals are in the Southwest Division and no longer have the Cubs as a division rival. The Dodgers and Giants have been in lock step with each other since the early part of the 20th century – but no longer.
What about the All-Star Game and the World Series? The All-Star Game may no longer be the midsummer showcase between the two leagues, but there was a time that it mattered to the players and the fans. An All-Star Game between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference sounds like a sham of an exhibition similar to what is done in the NBA or the ridiculous touch football Pro Bowl show put on by the NFL.
The sport’s most glorious event has been the World Series. American League champion vs. National League champion. Instead, fans will get Eastern Conference winner vs. Western Conference. Who would possibly care? Instead of a World Series between the Yankees and Cincinnati Reds, you could get an Eastern-Western showdown between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Getting rid of Major League Baseball’s greatest tradition – American League vs. National League – would serve no purpose other than reducing the travel bill. The history of the great sport will unravel and it will render Major League Baseball to a spot of insignificance on the sporting menu.
www.forbes.com
This will likely take many years to implement, but it is the way Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred would like to take the game. The first tiny step toward this reality was taken when the owner of the Oakland A’s signed a binding agreement to purchase land in Las Vegas this week for the purpose of moving the A’s from Northern California to the gambling mecca.
If all goes smoothly for the A’s organization – and there are still multiple hurdles to clear – the team will have a new 35,000-seat stadium in Las Vegas that will open in 2027.
The A’s have basically been ordered to resolve their stadium situation by Major League Baseball and so have the Tampa Bay Rays. Once both of those things happen, expansion to 32 teams is likely to happen from the current level of 30 teams.
Some of the cities that will be considered for expansion include Portland, Nashville, Charlotte, Montreal and Vancouver.
Former major league executive Jim Bowden, currently a baseball analyst for The Athletic, outlined a plan earlier this year for Major League Baseball to navigate a “radical realignment” based on geography once the A’s and Rays solidify their new stadium plans and the expansion is completed.
PROMOTED
Bowden identified a conversation he had with Manfred at last year’s World Series confirming the expansion plans. The former executive said MLB needs to realign so it can “maximize revenue” and ease the travel burden that Major League teams face.
Bowden’s trial balloon included the end of the American League and the National League. Instead, he proposed the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
Here’s how the new alignment would look:
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Eastern Conference
East Division
Forbes Daily: Our best stories, exclusive reporting and Forbes perspectives on the day’s top news, plus the inside scoop on the world's most important entrepreneurs.
You may opt out any time. By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
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
Bowden points out with great excitement and fervor how wonderful the new alignment would be for the sport, using the Eastern Conference East Division as the “heavyweight” division and the fairness of reducing travel for the Seattle Mariners in the Pacific Coast Division.
These ideas are almost certainly in lock step with what Manfred would like to see happen to the sport, but it is the most short-sighted and destructive plan the sport could come up with.
The foundation of baseball has been the identity of the two leagues. Putting the New York Yankees and the Mets in the same division is foolish. Taking the Mets out of the National League and having them compete with the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis would further weaken the rivalries that have been watered down by interleague competition.
The same holds for the Cubs and White Sox in the same division. Chicago’s teams are split by north side and south side, and the disdain for the Cubs by White Sox fans is real, while Cubs fans tend to pay no attention to the White Sox. Homogenizing the rivalry helps nobody.
Look at some of the other divisions and discover that the St. Louis Cardinals are in the Southwest Division and no longer have the Cubs as a division rival. The Dodgers and Giants have been in lock step with each other since the early part of the 20th century – but no longer.
What about the All-Star Game and the World Series? The All-Star Game may no longer be the midsummer showcase between the two leagues, but there was a time that it mattered to the players and the fans. An All-Star Game between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference sounds like a sham of an exhibition similar to what is done in the NBA or the ridiculous touch football Pro Bowl show put on by the NFL.
The sport’s most glorious event has been the World Series. American League champion vs. National League champion. Instead, fans will get Eastern Conference winner vs. Western Conference. Who would possibly care? Instead of a World Series between the Yankees and Cincinnati Reds, you could get an Eastern-Western showdown between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Getting rid of Major League Baseball’s greatest tradition – American League vs. National League – would serve no purpose other than reducing the travel bill. The history of the great sport will unravel and it will render Major League Baseball to a spot of insignificance on the sporting menu.
‘Radical Realignment’ Plan Is Sure To Result In Disaster For Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is inching slowly towards a realignment that will destroy the foundation of the game and remove the American League and National League designation of a slew of teams.
www.forbes.com
