Rob Manfred said expansion and geographical realignment is coming. How would you get to 32 and then realign?

Here's mine. I would prefer Carolina (Charlotte or Raleigh) and Nashville. I think Salt Lake City will get one but here's my alignment with my preferences. I also prefer a 2x2x8 approach rather than a 2x4x4.

- For Nashville, I chose the Stars because that is the leading name for historical purposes and it works well.
- For Carolina, I chose the Pilots because it is a former MLB name (Seattle Pilots > Milwaukee Brewers) and North Carolina was the home of the Wright Brothers.
- I chose the East and North to be together because 11 of the original 16 clubs from the first World Series season are here.
- I chose the South and West to be together because, historically, Southern teams have aligned Westward when that was the only possibility.

American League (Eastern Conference)
East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
North: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals

National League (Western Conference)
South: Atlanta Braves, Carolina Pilots, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Nashville Stars, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
West: Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners

If you feel like you must have 4 divisions - this is a little trickier:

American League (Eastern Conference)
Atlantic: Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies
East: Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
Midwest: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals
North: Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins

National League (Western Conference)
Central: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Nashville Stars, Texas Rangers
Pacific: Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners
South: Atlanta Braves, Carolina Pilots, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays
West: Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Las Vegas Athletics, San Diego Padres

Western Conference:
American Division - Seatle, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Houston, Texas, Minnesota, Kansas City, Utah*
National Division - San Francisco, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado, Saint Louis, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee

Eastern Conference:
American Division - Boston, New York Yankees, Toronto, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago White Sox
National Division - New York Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Nashville*

Aligning Portland and Utah instead of Utah and Nashville is a little bit trickier as it splits up the Cardinal/Cubs/Brewers triangle. In that case I would actually move Houston to the Eastern National given they were in the National League prior to 2013 and put both Portland and Utah in the Western American.

For a second eastern expansion team (Montreal, Raleigh, etc.), move the White Sox to the Western American and put the other expansion team in the Eastern American.

(08-21-2025 06:37 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Western Conference:
American Division - Seatle, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Houston, Texas, Minnesota, Kansas City, Utah*
National Division - San Francisco, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado, Saint Louis, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee

Eastern Conference:
American Division - Boston, New York Yankees, Toronto, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago White Sox
National Division - New York Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Nashville*

Aligning Portland and Utah instead of Utah and Nashville is a little bit trickier as it splits up the Cardinal/Cubs/Brewers triangle. In that case I would actually move Houston to the Eastern National given they were in the National League prior to 2013 and put both Portland and Utah in the Western American.

For a second eastern expansion team (Montreal, Raleigh, etc.), move the White Sox to the Western American and put the other expansion team in the Eastern American.

As a 4th generation Cubs fan, the only rivalry I care about is the Cardinals and a distant second is the White Sox. The Brewers are a geographic opponent who were weaseled into the NL years ago by Selig.

(08-21-2025 06:37 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Western Conference:
American Division - Seatle, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Houston, Texas, Minnesota, Kansas City, Utah*
National Division - San Francisco, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Arizona, Colorado, Saint Louis, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee

Eastern Conference:
American Division - Boston, New York Yankees, Toronto, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago White Sox
National Division - New York Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Nashville*

Aligning Portland and Utah instead of Utah and Nashville is a little bit trickier as it splits up the Cardinal/Cubs/Brewers triangle. In that case I would actually move Houston to the Eastern National given they were in the National League prior to 2013 and put both Portland and Utah in the Western American.

For a second eastern expansion team (Montreal, Raleigh, etc.), move the White Sox to the Western American and put the other expansion team in the Eastern American.

I do like the option of having American and National divisions, though. Play teams historically in your League while maintaining a primarily geographical schedule with the Conferences. Here would be my setup (I'm keeping the teams in the geographic conference I originally had them in):

Eastern Conference
American: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees
National: Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Western Conference
American: Carolina Pilots, Houston Astros, Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Nashville Stars, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
National: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants

Changes:
- Toronto Blue Jays switched the National Division of the Eastern Conference. This kept the 7 original baseball teams in the Eastern American together plus the Kansas City Royals which doesn't allow the American to double-dip in that region by force.
- I didn't want both new teams in the same Division but historical (American/National) League opponents only had Tampa Bay out East in the American. The National has Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Miami.

Do a mix of geographic and historic divisions:

AL North: BOS, NYY, TOR, BAL, CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL South: TB, ATL, MIA, Nash/CLT*, TEX, HOU, KC, COL

NL East: NYM, PHI, WASH, PIT, CIN, CHI, MIL, STL
NL West: SLC/Port*, SEA, SF, LV, LAA, LAD, ARZ, SD

I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

(08-24-2025 07:35 PM)AZcats Wrote:  I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

Based on the commissioners very public comments, I think the AL/NL setup is done as soon as the league gets to 32.

(08-25-2025 08:00 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(08-24-2025 07:35 PM)AZcats Wrote:  I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

Based on the commissioners very public comments, I think the AL/NL setup is done as soon as the league gets to 32.

So that explains the craziness. I honestly have not heard any comments from the commissioner. Just another step in ruining MLB.

(08-25-2025 08:44 PM)AZcats Wrote:  

(08-25-2025 08:00 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(08-24-2025 07:35 PM)AZcats Wrote:  I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

Based on the commissioners very public comments, I think the AL/NL setup is done as soon as the league gets to 32.

So that explains the craziness. I honestly have not heard any comments from the commissioner. Just another step in ruining MLB.

He made a statement in a discussion during the LLWS of all things and said expansion is going to happen. They are going to 32 with an announcement before 2030 on cities but some speculate announcement around 2026/2027. He didn't think the teams would start before 2030. However, he said they would likely realign geographically to cut down on the wear-and-tear on the players plus it would provide distinct time windows for the networks during the playoffs. I wouldn't say baseball is ruined (yet) but it's getting to the point that its unrecognizable.

The truth is the AL / NL setup probably should've been ditched a long time ago. NFL is next in dropping AFC / NFC setup.

Thanks BePcr07. I've been to busy to catch any of the LLWS.

(08-26-2025 05:08 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  The truth is the AL / NL setup probably should've been ditched a long time ago. NFL is next in dropping AFC / NFC setup.

Not to have the NFL hijack this thread but here'd be my NFL setup with current 32 franchises. The geography is slightly wonky (Texas schools in the Eastern Conference, for example) but that's to not split of geographically close teams into separate conferences. I am also making divisions historic-ish.

NATIONAL / EASTERN CONFERENCE
East: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders
North: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets
South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
West: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans

AMERICAN / WESTERN CONFERENCE
East: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers
North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
South: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers
West: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

32 with a focus on time zones:

NL West: SEA, SF, LAA, LAD, SD, LV, ARZ, Portland/SLC*

AL West: COL, TEX, HOU, KC, STL, Nashville*, MIN, MIL

NL East: NYM, PHI, WASH, PIT, ATL, MIA, CIN, CHI-Cubs

AL East: BOS, NYY, TOR, BAL, TB, CLE, DET, CWS

NL West is almost exclusively on Pacific time while the AL West is almost exclusively on Central Time. Both East divisions are on Eastern time, except their Chicago teams.

If both Portland and SLC get teams, Portland goes in the NL West and SLC goes to the AL West, taking the place of my Nashville expansion team.

baseball needs contraction or relocation. only atl in the south, pro sports don't work in north carolina. give montreal the rays and oakland the fish. done. retire the rockies. although slc could be a nice rivalry, if for nothing else. the game's so freaking watered down. .250 is a respectable batting average nowadays. i was talking with pops on the phone the other day and he's talking about luis tiant and juan marichal or someone each throwing 300 pitches in the same game. they don't do that anymore. but since we're talking about it...

montreal<-rays
oakland <- fish
slc
san antonio/austin (baseball works in texas. i wonder if dallas metro could support another team?)
charlotte (if the braves need a travel buddy, so be it. why not flop at baseball too)

(08-25-2025 08:00 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(08-24-2025 07:35 PM)AZcats Wrote:  I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

Based on the commissioners very public comments, I think the AL/NL setup is done as soon as the league gets to 32.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/3960...-divisions
I hate this guy's divisions. He throws out the NL/AL and does it geographically with 8 team divisions.

He lists 10 candidates. Mexico City, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, San Jose and Orlando he sees as long shots. Nashville and Montreal he sees as favorites, with Portland, Charlotte and Austin/San Antonio (one or the other-not combined) having a shot.

(09-05-2025 11:53 PM)bullet Wrote:  He lists 10 candidates. Mexico City, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, San Jose and Orlando he sees as long shots. Nashville and Montreal he sees as favorites, with Portland, Charlotte and Austin/San Antonio (one or the other-not combined) having a shot.

If that's the case his list has no basks in reality. The state of Utah has committed $900 million to bring a team to Salt Lake City. Oregon has committed to $800 million in tax revenues (although admittedly it does come from a "jock tax"). Nashville's public coffers are dry after having built Geodis Park and starting the new Titans stadium.

I have seen virtually nothing coming out of Charlotte or Montreal.

I think MLB certainly wants Nashville, but they want someone else (read: taxpayers) to pay for part of wherever they decide to expand.

LEAVE THE Damn GAME ALONE.

Once you kill the history and tradition the game is on life support.

Where would the game be today if there were never any Bronx/Brooklyn World Series?

(08-25-2025 08:00 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  

(08-24-2025 07:35 PM)AZcats Wrote:  I have seen so many crazy ideas, hope this isn't one of them.

Move Houston back to the NL. Every city/state with 2 teams has 1 in each league.

NL East: NYM, PHI, PIT, CIN
NL Central: STL, CHC, MIL, COL
NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, ARI
NL South: HOU, ATL, MIA, WAS

AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, BAL
AL Central: CLE, DET, CWS, MIN
AL West: SLC/POR, LVA, LAA, SEA
AL South: NAS/CLT, TEX, KCR, TBR

Based on the commissioners very public comments, I think the AL/NL setup is done as soon as the league gets to 32.

Your old guard clubs’ fanbases will riot if you mess with their rivalries and regular opponents.

(09-08-2025 08:11 PM)ncrdbl1 Wrote:  LEAVE THE DAMN GAME ALONE.

Once you kill the history and tradition the game is on life support.

Where would the game be today if there were never any Bronx/Brooklyn World Series?

Where would the country be without bringing over enslaved black people and the Civil War?

Sometimes mores and traditions die and should, although they're remembered as a critical part of history.