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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred floated the possibility of breaking up the American and National Leagues and realigning teams based on geography.
Manfred appeared on ESPN’s broadcast of the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets game, which took place in front of Little League baseball players in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announces Major League Baseball and the Chicago Cubs will host the 2027 All-Star game at Wrigley Field. (David Banks/Imagn Images)
“In my mind, I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could see a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel,” Manfred said. “And I think our postseason format would be more appealing for entities like ESPN because you’d be playing up out of the east, out of the west. And that 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get lost in 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 in a lot of great cities. And we have an opportunity to do something good around that.”
Manfred said that he hoped to have two teams picked out before he retires in 2029. MLB believes that Nashville, Tennessee, and Salt Lake City could be the next expansion cities, according to USA Today.
Los Angeles Dodgers players and coaches celebrate after winning the 2024 MLB World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
Baseball fans weren’t exactly thrilled to hear Manfred talk about realignment.
The National League was founded in 1876 and the American League was formed in 1901. The historical aspects of the sport are what add to the beauty of the game.
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It’s unclear how realignment would look. Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden floated an idea back in May 2023.
He predicted in an article in The Athletic that MLB could move to an Eastern and Western Conference format “consisting of four geographically-aligned divisions apiece. Four teams per division, 16 teams per conference.”
The Eastern Conference would consist of the East Division (Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies), North Division (Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays), Mid-Atlantic Division (Baltimore Orioles, expansion team, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals) and Southeast Division (Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, expansion and Tampa Bay Rays).
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred before game four of the 2024 MLB World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
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The Western Conference would consist of the Midwest Division (Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins), Southwest Division (Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers), Pacific Coast Division (Colorado Rockies, Athletics, Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants), and West Division (Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres).
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