Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:57 pm Posts: 81450 Location: New York, NY
One proposal would be to geographically restructure into four divisions, which would create a major reduction in travel, particularly for teams on the East Coast and West Coast, and add to the natural rivalries by not just having them as interleague attractions, but rather a part of the regular divisional battles.
Consider four eight-team divisions with the addition of teams in Portland and Montreal:
East: Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Washington.
North: Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, both New York franchises and Toronto.
Midwest: Both Chicago franchises, Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Texas.
West: Anaheim, Arizona, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 3:50 pm
Rookie
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 10:07 am Posts: 753
Fun topic. Maybe Charlotte and Montreal are the targets. Split could go like this: NL East: Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington NL: Central: Reds, Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals NL: South: Miami, ATL, Tampa Bay, Charlotte NL West: LA, SD, AZ, SF
AL East: Yanks, BoSox, Baltimore, Montreal NL: Central: CWS, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto NL: South: Texas, Houston, Kansas City, Minny NL West: Oak, LAA, Sea, Colorado
Tampa Bay and Colorado switch leagues. Minnesota in the AL South makes little sense, but Atlanta was an NL west team from 1969 to 1994. Four divisional winners, plus one wildcard from each league in the PS. It will never happen, I know.
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 3:55 pm
Legend of NYFS
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:16 pm Posts: 12494
Metro2007 wrote:
One proposal would be to geographically restructure into four divisions, which would create a major reduction in travel, particularly for teams on the East Coast and West Coast, and add to the natural rivalries by not just having them as interleague attractions, but rather a part of the regular divisional battles.
Consider four eight-team divisions with the addition of teams in Portland and Montreal:
East: Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Washington.
North: Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, both New York franchises and Toronto.
Midwest: Both Chicago franchises, Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Texas.
West: Anaheim, Arizona, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
Bye bye any dream of playoffs with the Sox, Yankees, Tigers with the Mets:(
The division really doesn't make much sense with Minnesota, Detroit, and Cleveland in the Mets division. If they are going to realign, the Mets division should be:
Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles, Montreal, Toronto, and the Nationals
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 4:05 pm
Manager
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:36 pm Posts: 6734
That would be too much like an NHL playoffs for my liking. And I say this AS an NHL fan who loves the Stanley Cup playoffs. But this seems like a cookie-cutter version of what the NHL is now. Just have eight four-team divisions, eight division winners and four WC's the way you do now. Why reinvent the wheel?
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 4:10 pm
Legend of NYFS
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:16 pm Posts: 12494
AllWrightNow wrote:
That would be too much like an NHL playoffs for my liking. And I say this AS an NHL fan who loves the Stanley Cup playoffs. But this seems like a cookie-cutter version of what the NHL is now. Just have eight four-team divisions, eight division winners and four WC's the way you do now. Why reinvent the wheel?
Probably because I don't think Baseball can be played in December
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 4:18 pm
Manager
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:36 pm Posts: 6734
Here's an easy 8/4 format I came up with on the fly - it's probably doable, if you ignore the inherent issue of Colorado or Arizona switching leagues (though Colorado in the AL with the DH might be worth some lolz), the fact Tampa might cease to exist without the NYY/Boston 'home' games, and assume Charlotte and Montreal are the expansion teams:
AL: AL East - Yankees, Boston, Toronto, Baltimore AL North - Cleveland, ChiSox, Detroit, Minnesota AL South - Houston, Texas, Tampa Bay, Kansas City AL West - Oakland, Seattle, Anaheim, Colorado/Arizona
NL: NL East - Mets, Montreal, Phillies, Pittsburgh NL North - ChiCubs, Cincinatti, Milwaukee, St. Louis NL South - Atlanta, Charlotte, Florida, Washington NL West - San Fran, LA Dodgers, San Diego, Arizona/Colorado
They probably want to go 4/8 in part to avoid the risk of a 75-win division champion in that format but there's always been that risk as far back as 1994 when there could have been a significantly under .500 AL West winner.
Post subject: Re: Expansion could trigger realignment
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 4:31 pm
Legend of NYFS
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:09 am Posts: 12371 Location: Somebody's stolen my avatar
The problem with 8 divisions is that it messes up the wildcard.
Football has 8 divisions and they give a bi-week to the top two teams, and work the wildcard in that way, but I can't see baseball doing that. That would be too strange.
4 divisions or 6 divisions, they can work in the wildcard. 8 divisions it gets clunky.
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