MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has sparked expansion talk by suggesting that adding two teams to the league could lead to a realignment. The idea is to create eight divisions, each with four teams. This change would require some teams to switch leagues or move to new divisions.
In 2023, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden proposed an alternative to Manfred’s plan, suggesting that the American and National leagues be kept intact, division rivalries protected, and geographic considerations prioritized. Bowden used the NFL’s experience with realignment in 2002 as a model.
Bowden’s proposal resulted in eight divisions, each with four teams. The changes involved keeping division rivalries and minimizing team relocations. For example, the AL East remained intact, while the Astros and Rangers formed the new AL South alongside the Royals and Rockies. Similarly, the NL East kept the Phillies and Mets together, while the Pirates returned to the East.
However, some concerns arise from this plan. The expansion market may not be sustainable in the long term, particularly for historically weak markets like Tampa Bay and Miami. Additionally, franchises with expansion teams encroaching on their territory may prefer not to share a division with those teams.
Manfred’s proposal is seen as a realistic path forward, but its timing remains uncertain. As The Athletic’s Jayson Stark wrote in 2018, it was only a matter of time before this realignment happened.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6560635/2025/08/19/mlb-expansion-realignment-leagues-projection