MLB's Expansion

Looming lockout leaves questions regarding scheduling and playoff formats.

As MLB “owners” unanimously voted to enter a lockout Wednesday, the previous 162 game schedule as well as divisional and playoff formats are likely history. According to several top name MLB reporters, one of the players demands are 2 divisions in each leagues with a 12 team playoff. 12 team playoffs are an awful number logistics wise, as it necessitates 2 teams in each league needing byes. However, if you accept the fact that playoff expansion is inevitable, along with a 16 team playoff making a mockery of the sport. One can be sold on a 12 team playoff rather quickly.

For me 2 divisions in each league does not make much sense, as you would end up with a different number of teams in each one. This seems like it would cause a nightmare scheduling wise, and the divisions with 7 would likely have a slight advantage when it comes to making the playoffs.

With the universal DH finally seeming to be guaranteed in the next CBA at this point, a much easier and convenient, or controversial one could say, option is on the table. Expansion to 32 teams will come one day, and what better day to expand then right now. This, along with dissolving American and National Leagues for an eastern and western league results in an optimal brand of baseball for both the player and the fan. It would likely benefit the “owners” as well, but I could not care less about them nor their desires.

Baseball’s uniqueness of having two separate “leagues” with no geographical correlation began its inevitable demise with the implementation of the designated hitter in the American League and interleague play, which saw AL and NL teams begin to play each other in the regular season for the first time. Prior to the implementation of interleague play, the American and National League really could have been viewed as two separate professional leagues. Each of whom sent their best team to face off against one another at the end of the year to discover the best professional baseball team in the country. However, once NL and AL teams began to compete with each other during the regular season the sport finally really began to merge into one big league. This leads one to ask, why does a team from Philadelphia play teams from San Diego and San Francisco more than they play teams from Baltimore or Boston. Up to today, baseball fans would state the difference in play between the two leagues. The “NL game” vs. the “AL game”, and which was a better brand of baseball. However, as its basically a certainty at this point the the National League will be getting the DH whenever they players and “owners” come to a deal. There is no longer a need for NL and AL, and MLB should adopt Eastern and Western Leagues.

In this scenario, let us say for the argument Tampa moves to Montreal. The new franchise in the East goes to Charlotte. The West will add Portland. With 16 teams in each league, MLB could choose to split them into two divisions of 8. However, for scheduling purposes, I believe 4 divisions of 4 in each league will render the best result. The leagues would be divided as follows.

EAST

Metro

Boston, Montreal, New York, New York

Mid-Atlantic

Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington

Rust Belt

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto

Southeast

Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Miami

All of these basically draw themselves. In an alternate universe you could have Philly in the metro, Cincy in the Mid Atlantic, and Montreal in the Rust Belt. I get it that you would probably want the two Canadian teams together. So flip a coin and take your pick, this may be better. Having Houston in the east may be problematic, especially when you are forcing two Chicago teams west. But there is no other alternatives unless you split the Chicago teams up.

West

Great Lakes

Chicago, Chicago, St Louis, Milwaukee

Mid West

Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas City, Texas

Pacific

Arizona, Portland, San Diego, Seattle

California

Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco

Although the Pacific division is a train wreck, its worth it in order to preserve the LA/Bay Area rivalries. Also some may have a problem with the fact there may be more “mid west” teams in the Great Lakes division rather than the actual “Mid West” division. But you get that when there are only 11 teams west of the Mississippi River in this scenario.

At this point it comes down to scheduling and playoff formats. The latter being easier to figure out. In an attempt to keep it as close to 162 games as possible, as the players would likely reject any scenario where they were asked to play more. Here is what I come up with. Each teams schedule would consist of playing the other 3 teams in their division 15 times; the other 12 teams in their conference 6 times; and all 16 teams in the other division 3 times each. This would lead to a grand total of a 165 game season, which is in the opposite direction of what the players are looking for, but is quite the easy fix, as you could just play the teams in your own division 14 times rather than 15 to get you 162.

One of the biggest benefits in this scenario would be the ability of stars to be seen in markets they otherwise may not visit for years. With this schedule, the Yankees would visit Dodger Stadium every year. In our current system the Yankees most recently visited Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in 2019, prior to that you would have to go all the way back to 2013 to have seen the Yankees in Chavez Ravin.

Not only would this format allow stars to play in cities and stadiums they may otherwise have never visited. It gives fans and families the opportunity to see some of the games biggest stars which had previously been nearly impossible.

When it comes to playoffs of 12. Obviously each division winner would get a bid to October. While the rest battle it out for 2 wild card spots. At the start this seems troublesome as both the Mid West and Mid Atlantic divisions have some of the worst rosters in baseball. But over time, it will balance itself out. Especially if the players will ever learn how to properly negotiate and figure out how to get a salary floor implemented in a CBA. The top 2 records in each league will get a BYE, regardless of division, and the rest will be seeded based of record. Again, regardless of division, so if Philadelphia were to banter themselves to a 83-82 Mid Atlantic division championship, they would be forced to play the third best team in the East.

Although league alignment and playoff formats are likely the least concerning issues in the CBA conversations. It is always an interesting conversation to have, and one that allows the rivalries of the past to remain intact, as well as giving teams the opportunities to reach new markets and cities every other year. It should at the very least be considered. Although unless your presentation includes how to commit wage theft while complaining that you are broke, the “owners” won’t allow you at the table.