Bowden: expansion is inevitable..and so is realignment?

[Sports Guy]

https://theathletic.com/4159445/2023/02/07/mlb-expansion-geographic-realignment/?source=user_shared_article
 

Some interesting stuff in this article.

Eastern Conference

East Division

Boston Red Sox
New York Mets
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies

North Division

Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers
Toronto Blue Jays

Mid-Atlantic Division

Baltimore Orioles
Charlotte expansion team
Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals

Southeast Division

Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
Nashville expansion team
Tampa Bay Rays

[ChuckS]

I would love this.  Getting away from the traditional opponents would make our schedule dramatically easier.  Living in DC, there would be that many more opportunities to go to O's games.  

Also, sign me up for watching all of those stadiums on TV over Tampa and Toronto. 

 

[Roll Tide]

I can see teams fighting this as they will lose some long running rivalries. 
 

If I’m the Orioles I like it as it moves them away from the high revenue teams.

as for expansion… seems like they should also be considering Nashville?

Also, my other thought is the talent seems watered down if only on the low to mid market teams. Additional teams would create a bigger gap between the haves and have nots.

[Roll Tide]

1 minute ago, ChuckS said:

I would love this.  Getting away from the traditional opponents would make our schedule dramatically easier.  Living in DC, there would be that many more opportunities to go to O's games.  

Also, sign me up for watching all of those stadiums on TV over Tampa and Toronto. 

 

Plus more early start times….oops the new schedule had us playing a more diverse schedule.

The only value would be from a competitive balance standpoint. 

[Bahama O's Fan]

Just give every team a balanced schedule and be done with it. Every team plays every team and even number (or as close as possible to an even number) of games. 

[waroriole]

I can’t see them putting all those heavy payroll teams in one division. I like our division though. 

[eddie83]

I’m not for a complete geographical realignment. I think you may need to move a team or two to switch leagues to make it all work. 

[MarCakes21]

Still perplexed that every league doesn't do what the NBA does.  East/West, cut down travel, balanced schedule and then see who the top 6-X teams are from each league at the end of the year.

[24fps]

Nashville, Charlotte and Las Vegas are the usual suspects in the expansion/relocation conversation.  Austin, TX is bigger than each of them and should be in the conversation as well.

I'm all in favor of moving Oakland and TB and adding two more teams to go along with divisional realignment.  If anything, it seems a lot more organic and respectful of baseball history than something genuinely hairbrained like making the bases bigger.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

7 minutes ago, 24fps said:

Nashville, Charlotte and Las Vegas are the usual suspects in the expansion/relocation conversation.  Austin, TX is bigger than each of them and should be in the conversation as well.

I'm all in favor of moving Oakland and TB and adding two more teams to go along with divisional realignment.  If anything, it seems a lot more organic and respectful of baseball history than something genuinely hairbrained like making the bases bigger.

I hope Rob Manfred isn’t a reader of Orioles Hangout. 

[Moose Milligan]

I think this is where it could be headed, especially now with the balanced schedule (ugh), the DH in both leagues.

Where Bowden's plan kinda loses me is the need for "divisions."  This is something that would be necessary if they're going to adopt an NFL approach where the winner for each division makes the playoffs and the wildcards are the two or three next best teams in the division.

But if they're going to adopt an NBA approach, just two conferences...or in this case, leagues...and the top 6 teams get in from each (I'm aware that the NBA has more teams in the playoffs but for what Bowden is saying, keeping the 12 team MLB playoff format).  The NBA has "divisions" but they don't matter.  What matters is finishing in the top 8 of your respective conference.

I really hate the balanced schedule, I hope they do something like doing away with interleague play at the very least.  But I don't think that's on the table, they'll never go back to that.

[btdart20]

The MASN deal would have to be discussed.  Sharing revenues with a distant competitor is one thing, but sharing revenues with a direct competitor is a bit different.  

Maybe a move like this increases revenues enough all around to grease the wheels of change to buyout the Angelos from the current MASN deal?

[Frobby]

I don’t see expansion as being that likely.   

[eddie83]

14 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I don’t see expansion as being that likely.   

Once they get the Oakland and TB situations done it will happen. Easy money for the owners and even number of teams in each league. 

[eddie83]

36 minutes ago, MarCakes21 said:

Still perplexed that every league doesn't do what the NBA does.  East/West, cut down travel, balanced schedule and then see who the top 6-X teams are from each league at the end of the year.

Thing is NBA plays one game in a city not 3/4. They still travel a ton.