Apparently, MLB Commissioner
Rob Manfred is eager to gauge opinions on expansion and re-alignment. Why else would
Jayson Stark throw out a trial balloon in
The Athletic that talks about wacky
new divisional breakdowns. One of the proposed configurations we won't even waste your time with—the one that wipes out American and National League distinctions
and puts the Red Sox and Yankees in different divisions. Yeah, exactly. So, the
other (less ludicrous) option has four four-team divisions in each league—which accounts for the expansion to 32 franchises (guessing that Portland, Oregon and Charlotte, North Carolina are the newbies). At least the Red Sox and Yankees reside in the same place—and, generally, the divisions recognize both regional and rivalry realities. If we have to live with this, we guess this is the best option (although we
are surprised that neither Beirut or Damascus ended up in one of the "Mideast" divisions):
AL EAST
Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays
AL MIDEAST
Indians, Twins, White Sox, Tigers
AL SOUTH
Astros, Rangers, Royals, Rockies
AL WEST
Mariners, Portland, A’s, Angels
NL NORTHEAST
Nationals, Mets, Phillies, Pirates
NL MIDEAST
Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, Brewers
NL SOUTH
Braves, Marlins, Rays, Charlotte
NL WEST
Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks
