Mets aren’t dwelling on MLB realignment rumors as debate rages

WASHINGTON — Fans and media have debated feverishly over the past few days following commissioner Rob Manfred grabbing an ESPN microphone and expressing a desire to “geographically realign” Major League Baseball upon adding two additional expansion teams at some point in the future.

The Mets have been less preoccupied with the notion.

“Why is he doing that?” Tyrone Taylor said of the commissioner upon a reporter briefing him of the vague plan. “Two extra teams, that’s pretty cool though.”

Whenever MLB adds a pair of new franchises — Nashville, Tenn., Raleigh, N.C., Charlotte, N.C., Salt Lake City and Portland, Ore., have been among the interested locales — the majors would expand to 32 teams, which could open other avenues toward regular-season and postseason scheduling and formatting.