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(New York, NY) – It’s hard to imagine Major League Baseball without the divisional rivalries. Although divisional play only dates back to the 1990s, the annual matchups between inter-division teams are the stuff of legend. Red Sox-Yankees. Mets-Phillies. Cardinals-Brewers. Giants-Dodgers. And so on. But if MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has his way, those same rivalries may end up changing.
With the Tampa Bay Rays looking for a permanent stadium deal — and the (West Sacramento) Athletics biding their time before relocating to Las Vegas — the league itself is in a bit of flux. So those situations need to resolve themselves. Beyond that point? It sounds like Commissioner Manfred wants to expand — bringing in two additional teams — to bring the total number of MLB franchises to 32.
Major League Baseball has not introduced expansion franchises since 1998 — when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay joined the league. This next change may be even more transformative. In addition to the two new franchises, it sounds like the American and National leagues may become history. Rather than keeping the traditional AL-NL format, the league may opt to establish a Eastern and Western league. That would be in line with how the NFL, NBA, and NHL have structured and grouped their teams.
Manfred has said this will help cut down on travel and the strains associated with that over a 162-game season. It could also theoretically make rescheduling rainouts and other scheduling complications easier. Yet for many fans the concept of doing away with the AL and NL is blasphemous. Of course, it also comes at a time when MLB has changed so much — instituting the universal DH during COVID, as well as a “ghost runner” on second base to begin the 10th inning. The pitch clock is another new addition — albeit one that’s generally been well received — having cut down on game lengths, with improved pacing.
