I'm assuming this was discussed and I just missed it… but I would actually like this

It would be fun for some teams but lame for others.

AgRyan04 said:

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He'll probably just add 6 more Wild Card spots and then to lessen the strain for the additional games they'll all start the first three innings with ghost runners on the corners and then if it's tied in the 4th they'll just do a HR Derby for the win

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Exactly. Narcissistic *****.

I'd be a fan of doing rotating divisions. Your payroll, deferred money included, over the last X years gets you in your group. Top 4 spenders go in 1 group, next 4 in the next, etc. One team from each goes to the playoffs. Makes it where you can't just money whip a league and be almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Gets some possible excitement from small market teams.
I think it would be fun to see NYY, NYM, BOS and LA battle for one playoff spot each with billion dollar payrolls only to see 3 of them fail.

There would have to be a floor

would interleague play come to an end?

one reason for realignment is to reduce travel

How does the NL South make sense? A team 3 time zones away?

Yours is pretty good. However, this is my proposal. I really don't like teams moving leagues, but if we're trying to make it more viable for travel, I like this.

AL East
NYY
Bos
Balt
Tor

AL North
Minn
Cle
Chi WS
Det

AL
Texas
Houston
KC
LV

AL
Anaheim
Seattle
San Diego
SLC/Port

NL East
Philly
NYM
Pitt
Wash

NL Central
Chi Cubs
Milwaukee
Cincy
STL

NL South
ATL
TB
Miami
Nash

NL West
LA Dodgers
SF
Arizona
Colorado

You could exchange Colorado for SD if you want. I initially thought KC in NL Central but blew that up when I remembered MIL needed a home and that is their best fit.

So in my ideal situation, only TB and SD move leagues. It's the only way it works.

10andBOUNCE said:

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MLB needs to contract, not expand

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I don't think they need to expand. But, I also don't think they need to contract.

Expand to 50 teams. One team per state using only players from that state.

Two divisions per league from that league's North, South, East, West states.

Northern League (new American League); Southern League (new National League).

MLB is in a long term battle for relevancy against lots of other sports/entertainment options.

I can sacrifice AL and NL affiliations for teams if it means that baseball sets itself on a path towards continued growth and relevance. IMO, that means we need more regionally relevant games, more games that are easier for opposing teams fans to travel to and compelling division races. (that last part being hardest to guarantee, but parody of opportunity is what the league wants)

I think they should go to something very similar to the Fox graphic posted above and keep it as regional as possible understanding that from a competitive balance standpoint that teams will rise and fall. Even the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers will suck periodically. The only change I'd make to the Fox graphic might be to swap the Pirates and Phillies just to punish the Pirates for being such cheap asses for so long.

As another aside to some of the other posts on here, expansion means 52 additional jobs for big league players. In the next round of CBA negotiations, the league and owners are going to be asking some big asks from the players, so guaranteeing 52 new jobs for players is the easiest thing for the owners to dangle in order to move the needle on some of the priorities the league is interested in. Also, since new owners have to pay a "fee" to get a new team, it's a sweet payoff to all of the current owners.

So whether you think there are 52 more MLB quality players out there or not, it's likely happening because it's a win for both sides here.

Also, if you only did 3 divisions per league, they'd be even better and solve the "balancing" issue

NL Midwest
Cubs, Sox, Cards, Reds, Royals (Reds only team not in same time zone)

NL Central/Southwest
Rockies, Rangers, Stros, SLC, Diamondbacks (Rangers and Stros only teams not in same time zone)

NL Pacific
Mariners, A's, Giants, Dodgers, Angels, Padres (all same time zone)

AL Northeast
Yanks, BoSox, Phillies, Mets, Pirates (all same time zone)

AL Mid-Atlantic/Great Lakes
Indians, Twins, Tigers, Brewers, Jays (Brewers and Twins different time zone)

AL Southeast
Braves, Marlins, Rays, Orioles, Nats, Charlotte (all same time zone)

With this you only have 5 teams total not in the same time zone, and all of those are just one time zone away.

W said:

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also as previously mentioned...

having four top 10 payrolls in the same division...Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies...

would probably not fly

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oh for sure I know it would never happen, but it'd be fun to watch.

• 8 Team Divisions > 4 Team Divisions
• Divide East and West
• Winners of each division get byes.
• Four Wild Cards
• Playoff format stays the same.
• Schedule: 4 3 game series vs "rival", 3 3 game series in divisions (minus rival); 2 3 game series in conference/league (east/west), 1 3 game series vs opposite conference/league. 162 games

yes, kind of like the NL wildcard series this year

will be top 5 payroll matchups

10andBOUNCE said:

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MLB needs to contract, not expand

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yes again

where are 26 more major league pitchers going to come from?

Salt Lake City elevation ---> 4,226 ft

True, I was thinking MST, forgot they don't observe DST.

We're Pacific time during baseball season.

I don't watch games anymore, but if I did, I would be happy to have the Rangers not have to play so many games in Pacific Time. Houston, KC, and Nashville would be great.

W said:

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10andBOUNCE said:

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MLB needs to contract, not expand

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yes again

where are 26 more major league pitchers going to come from?

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This. Also MLB needs a hard salary cap with deferred money counting against the year it is deferred from. Get away from 3-4 teams buying up half of the best players. It would help with the ******ed contracts also.

No more northeast or northwest teams. The south is underrepresented.

Charlotte and Nashville make the most sense. Two of the largest growth areas in the country.

Half the proposed NL is in the Pacific Time zone.

I have to say, Jomboy is cooking here.

Yeah. Watched that last night. Love it, but don't see them going to 4 big divisions like that.