Rob Manfred’s MLB realignment idea being met with harsh reactions

Rob Manfred sent the collective heads of baseball traditionalists everywhere spinning Sunday night when he openly discussed the idea of realignment during the ESPN broadcast of the MLB Little League Classic.

The idea unquestionably would create one of the biggest shake-ups in baseball and likely end the long-standing American League and National League format that MLB has operated under for more than 100 years.

“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred told ESPN. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you’d be playing up out of the East and out of the West.”

The reactions came swiftly after Manfred made his comments during the broadcast, with baseball traditionalists decrying the idea of realigning the divisions.

Mets broadcaster Howie Rose described the threat of realignment as the American League and National League ceasing to “exist as we know them” and describing it as the “last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great.”

Former big leaguer Cameron Maybin argued that realignment would tilt the playoff balance in a post on social media.

“Some divisions get watered down, others overloaded and rivalries that drive October storylines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity, not manufactured shakeups,” he wrote.

Expansion would be the first domino that would need to fall in order for the MLB commissioner to see realignment come to fruition, but the idea has created, at the very least, some buzz, along with plenty of anger, over what could happen with a potential realignment.

The biggest question that would first need to be answered is where Major League Baseball is expanding. Nashville, Tenn., has been one of the favorites to land an expansion team when the time comes, but other markets have expressed interest, including Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Orlando, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., which in itself would make the realignment process a challenging one.

Manfred didn’t mention any parameters about what a realigned MLB would look like, but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see it turn into an Eastern and Western Conference format similar to the one in the NBA or NHL, with 16 teams in each conference.

In one scenario in which MLB expands to Nashville and Portland, a potential Eastern Conference could include the Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates, Guardians, Orioles, Nationals, Marlins, Braves, Rays, Nashville, Tigers, Blue Jays, Brewers and Twins. The Cubs, White Sox, Cardinals, Reds, Rockies, Rangers, Astros, Royals, Mariners, Portland, Athletics, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Angels, Padres and Giants could make up the Western Conference.

The easiest division to put in place would be in the Northeast, where the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox are a natural fit together, and in this scenario, it’s possible to keep the Dodgers, Giants, Angels and Padres together.

Grouping the two Florida teams along with the Braves and an expansion Nashville team allows for a potential rivalry to come together between Atlanta and MLB’s newest team — this would work, as well, if Charlotte were to join the league instead of Nashville.

Creating a division that includes the Mariners with the Athletics, who should be in Las Vegas well before any expansion takes place, the Diamondbacks and a Portland expansion team would potentially accomplish Manfred’s goal of cutting down on travel time.

As other leagues have learned, however, there is no exact science to mapping out the best geographically based divisions — the NHL’s Capitals had to play in a division with Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay at one point — and there’s bound to be a disgruntled franchise or fan base or two.

Manfred has overseen some of the most drastic changes in baseball during his tenure as commissioner, but realignment would be the biggest undertaking of his reign, which is expected to end with a planned resignation in 2029.