Interesting

[Sanfran327]

Why? It's not like the current setup was handed to Moses on stone tablets. It was invented by a bunch of owners generations ago, modified substantially 40 years ago, then modified some more by Bud Selig and his cronies. It's a patchwork system, with compromises every step of the way.

There's no reason to accept the status quo if it doesn't work right. And this doesn't work right.

If you were thinking this thing up from scratch would you end up with the current situation? I seriously doubt it.

It may not be exactly the same, but it would have to be close. I like the way the NFL and NHL do their divisions. I'm all for fiarness, but I don't want to make it easier for us to make the postseason just to benefit the Orioles.

But yes. I'd make divisions based on geography, not finances.

[RShack]

European soccer leagues don't allow teams to choose their division. They get promoted or demoted if they finish at the very top or bottom of one league or another.

I realize you like how Europeans do their soccer leagues, but I don't see the relevance here.

I think a better way to do this might be to have two divisions based on quality. Play more games in division than out. You might have six teams in the top division, 10 in the lower. The top division gets three playoff spots, the bottom gets one. Last team (or two) in the top division gets demoted, top team (or two) in the lower division gets promoted.

This completely blows up the idea of equal schedules and amounts to an admission that the revenue disparities won't ever be fixed.

It also completely blows up the idea that MLB is major league baseball. You're basically advocating that we have one division that is the real major league with most teams in a second-tier division that are no longer major league. It's like the stupid BCS letting schools like Boise State in for a token bowl game while keeping most of the goodies for themselves. You can say you're not doing that, but that's what it boils down to.

If you were thinking this thing up from scratch would you end up with the current situation? I seriously doubt it.

Of course not. But you're fixing the wrong thing. It doesn't make sense to dismiss things on the grounds that "we wouldn't do this if we were starting from scratch" but then turn around and implement a new plan that is based on the same kind of crap.

The problem isn't divisions, the problem is revenue disparities that are way too large to be reasonable, and which are based on ignoring the basic fact that the MFY's need to play somebody or else they aren't worth a dime. If all teams would just split the revenue, all the revenue, for each game with whoever they're playing, then the disparity would still exist, the MFY's would still be richer, but they wouldn't be obscenely richer. That's the real problem, and is one that demoting most MLB teams to a non-major-league second-tier-division completely fails to address. Your idea perpetuates the problem, it does nothing to actually address the problem.

[Miller192]

Why not just do this:

1) Get rid of the unbalanced schedule

2) Shorten the length of the season with more day-night double headers

3) Expand the playoffs with another Wildcard or two

[RShack]

Why not just do this:

3) Expand the playoffs with another Wildcard or two

Because it makes the baseball season mean even less. It's taking steps to become the dang NBA...

[Miller192]

Because it makes the baseball season mean even less. It's taking steps to become the dang NBA...

I don't think adding 2 or 4 more teams to the playoff mix dilutes it too much.

[Sanfran327]

I realize you like how Europeans do their soccer leagues, but I don't see the relevance here.

It also completely blows up the idea that MLB is major league baseball. You're basically advocating that we have one division that is the real major league with most teams in a second-tier division that are no longer major league. It's like the stupid BCS letting schools like Boise State in for a token bowl game while keeping most of the goodies for themselves. You can say you're not doing that, but that's what it boils down to.

Of course not. But you're fixing the wrong thing. It doesn't make sense to dismiss things on the grounds that "we wouldn't do this if we were starting from scratch" but then turn around and implement a new plan that is based on the same kind of crap.

The problem isn't divisions, the problem is revenue disparities that are way too large to be reasonable, and which are based on ignoring the basic fact that the MFY's need to play somebody or else they aren't worth a dime. If all teams would just split the revenue, all the revenue, for each game with whoever they're playing, then the disparity would still exist, the MFY's would still be richer, but they wouldn't be obscenely richer. That's the real problem, and is one that demoting most MLB teams to a non-major-league second-tier-division completely fails to address. Your idea perpetuates the problem, it does nothing to actually address the problem.

I like some of your ideas, but this is a tad... umm... socialist for me. If each game has teams splitting the revenue, what is your motivation for getting better front office personnel, building a better stadium, advertising, or anything else that improves the fan experience?

Because isn't that what we really want to improve? An improved fan experience is what we're really after - bottom line. How MLB handles that is the real question. I don't know that realigning the divisions is the answer.

[Sanfran327]

I don't think adding 2 or 4 more teams to the playoff mix dilutes it too much.

Personally, I hate seeing a team with 80-something wins in the playoffs. I want the cream of the crop, and four teams from each league does that just fine.

[Mackus]

The only re-alignment I think I'd have any real interest in is to go with two 7 or 8 team divisions in each league where the top two teams each make the playoffs.

I agree about switching back to a balanced schedule, I do think they should do that. Or at least make it not quite so unbalanced, maybe 12 games against each of your divisional rivals instead of 18 (16 in the AL West, 9-10 in the NL Central).

[Miller192]

Personally, I hate seeing a team with 80-something wins in the playoffs. I want the cream of the crop, and four teams from each league does that just fine.

Ok, but you've got that now though. 80 win teams are making the playoffs.

I don't think there is a perfect solution to this. What I am trying to come up with is a solution that doesn't require MLB to completely re-write how they conduct business. I'm not saying my ideas are the best, just maybe level the playing field with greater ease.

I'd love revenue sharing and caps and floors, but MLB wants doesn't seem to want a financial change to it's format. At least from what Verducci writes.

[DrungoHazewood]

I realize you like how Europeans do their soccer leagues, but I don't see the relevance here.

Privateo made a statement that this kind of system (i.e. allowing teams to pick their division) works in European soccer. I was responding to this - European soccer teams don't pick their divisions.

It also completely blows up the idea that MLB is major league baseball. You're basically advocating that we have one division that is the real major league with most teams in a second-tier division that are no longer major league. It's like the stupid BCS letting schools like Boise State in for a token bowl game while keeping most of the goodies for themselves. You can say you're not doing that, but that's what it boils down to.

It all depends on your goals, and how you define major league baseball. Yes, it would be a little like the BCS system, but not completely.

I don't see how a different system that unevenly distributes playoff spots would make baseball any less "major league baseball" than the patchwork system we have today that clearly benefits those who happen to reside in the biggest cities.

Personally, I'm not even that invested in the idea of a single all-powerful MLB entity. I think the world would be a better place with lots of independently-operating high-level leagues. The NCAA model, or world soccer model, both have plenty of advantages.

Of course not. But you're fixing the wrong thing. It doesn't make sense to dismiss things on the grounds that "we wouldn't do this if we were starting from scratch" but then turn around and implement a new plan that is based on the same kind of crap.

The problem isn't divisions, the problem is revenue disparities that are way too large to be reasonable, and which are based on ignoring the basic fact that the MFY's need to play somebody or else they aren't worth a dime. If all teams would just split the revenue, all the revenue, for each game with whoever they're playing, then the disparity would still exist, the MFY's would still be richer, but they wouldn't be obscenely richer. That's the real problem, and is one that demoting most MLB teams to a non-major-league second-tier-division completely fails to address. Your idea perpetuates the problem, it does nothing to actually address the problem.

I won't argue that I'm fixing the wrong thing. I'd rather fix the revenue disparities.

But I think it's vastly more likely that a system like this is implemented, than it is that a revenue-flattening system is implemented. Bud Selig's own committee of old guys is actually talking about this kind of thing. As far as I know nobody is coming up with even a halfway plausible plan for slashing the Yanks' and Sox' revenues and franchise values relative to every else's.

At some point, I think, you have to set aside dreaming for a perfect solution and instead work to come up with an acceptable, imperfect, halfway solution. Otherwise you'll probably look up and realize it's 2040 and we're still complaining about the Jays, Rays and O's, and the Yanks' $500M payroll.

[DrungoHazewood]

I like some of your ideas, but this is a tad... umm... socialist for me. If each game has teams splitting the revenue, what is your motivation for getting better front office personnel, building a better stadium, advertising, or anything else that improves the fan experience?

There's nothing socialist about how a corporation decides to split up revenues among its franchises.

Where's the motivation for building a better organization when you're an owner from a small city that, even when maximizing it's financial base, will be $100s of millions behind their direct competition? Especially when there are few checks on the big teams keeping them from using that massive, built-in advantage to overwhelm the smaller teams?

[DrungoHazewood]

Because it makes the baseball season mean even less. It's taking steps to become the dang NBA...

Baseball has already gone down the more playoff teams road, adding a few more isn't much of a change. They're decided that it's better to fix the odds in the playoffs than the regular season. It's massively easier, and it generates more money. Maybe it's not the most pleasing way of doing things to people who grew up with two playoff teams, but most fans seem to like it.

[Sanfran327]

There's nothing socialist about how a corporation decides to split up revenues among its franchises.

Where's the motivation for building a better organization when you're an owner from a small city that, even when maximizing it's financial base, will be $100s of millions behind their direct competition? Especially when there are few checks on the big teams keeping them from using that massive, built-in advantage to overwhelm the smaller teams?

But there is something socialist about the way an industry tries to split revenue among it's corporations. An MLB franchise is a bit different than your local McDonalds.

[DrungoHazewood]

But there is something socialist about the way an industry tries to split revenue among it's corporations. An MLB franchise is a bit different than your local McDonalds.

Socialism is a government-mandated economic system. Unless you're going to argue that MLB is a national government I don't think your argument holds much water.

[hoosiers]

Why move a weak Cleveland team into the same division as the NYY and BoSox? Doesn't that practically guarantee a playoff spot for both of those teams?

Baseball needs an international draft to limit the top talent the NYY and BoSox are able to sign every year.

Teams should not be allowed to flip compensatory free agents for extra picks - compensatory FAs should be for players with multi-year contracts who are on a team for more than one year - relative to the talent let go.

In addition to a payroll tax for high salaried clubs, baseball should remove early round picks from those teams as well.

Revenue sharing from the payroll tax should be a calculation that takes the division into account.