When MLB goes to 32, how should it be organized?

(12-13-2025 09:53 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  When MLB goes to 32, how should it be organized?

I'd organize it by 4 divisions of 8, AL/NL East, AL/NL West

I think 6 divisions is the way to go and makes the fewest teams unhappy as a product of forced realignment.

2 western teams makes keeping 6 divisions really easy. You put them both (Salt Lake City & Portland) in the AL West—they become instant rivals, not to mention there’s a lot of potential for a Portland-Seattle rivalry and a Las Vegas-SLC (Sinners vs [Latter-Day] Saints). Houston goes back to the NL Central and Texas goes to the AL Central.

If it’s 1 western team and 1 southern team, you put the southern team (Charlotte or Nashville) in the NL East with Atlanta. You put the Western team in the AL West.

Since it was phrased as "should", I chose 4 divisions of 8 because that would work best in a full geographic realignment.

AL East: Boston, Miami, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Toronto
AL West: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina*, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Nashville*, Washington

NL East: Chicago, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, St. Louis, Texas
NL West: Arizona, Colorado, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

However, if the traditional AL/NL structure remains (as is more likely), with few teams changing leagues, then 8 divisions of 4 would work best.

AL East: Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
AL North: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL South: Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
AL West: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland*, Seattle

NL East: New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
NL North: Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL South: Atlanta, Carolina*, Miami, Tampa Bay
NL West: Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

(12-15-2025 09:18 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Since it was phrased as "should", I chose 4 divisions of 8 because that would work best in a full geographic realignment.

AL East: Boston, Miami, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Toronto
AL West: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina*, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Nashville*, Washington

NL East: Chicago, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, St. Louis, Texas
NL West: Arizona, Colorado, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

However, if the traditional AL/NL structure remains (as is more likely), with few teams changing leagues, then 8 divisions of 4 would work best.

AL East: Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
AL North: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL South: Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
AL West: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland*, Seattle

NL East: New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
NL North: Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL South: Atlanta, Carolina*, Miami, Tampa Bay
NL West: Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

If they do 4 divisions of 8, I think it would be prudent to do a hybrid of geographical (Western US) and historical (Eastern US) divisions.

Your NL West sees an Expansion club, plus the 3 West Coast AL teams come over.

The Rockies, Rangers, and Astros join the AL Central clubs and gets renamed the AL West.

The 5 NL Central teams and the other expansion club would then need to be dispersed among the AL East and NL East.

It makes a lot of sense for the western teams to play each other more often.

(12-15-2025 09:18 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Since it was phrased as "should", I chose 4 divisions of 8 because that would work best in a full geographic realignment.

AL East: Boston, Miami, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Toronto
AL West: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina*, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Nashville*, Washington

NL East: Chicago, Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, St. Louis, Texas
NL West: Arizona, Colorado, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

However, if the traditional AL/NL structure remains (as is more likely), with few teams changing leagues, then 8 divisions of 4 would work best.

AL East: Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
AL North: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL South: Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
AL West: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland*, Seattle

NL East: New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
NL North: Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL South: Atlanta, Carolina*, Miami, Tampa Bay
NL West: Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

I agree with the 8 divisions of 4 teams format.