A Proposal for MLB Realignment

/ Josh Barnhill

The MLB postseason expanded in 2022 to include a wild card round, so now it’s basically the 12-team model the NFL used from 1990-2019. While I like the exclusivity of the old playoffs from my early childhood (only division winners and two rounds), I also like a few more teams in the field so a good season results in a playoff berth. But I think there’s a better way.

There are two big things I think ought to be major factors in the playoffs: a heavy advantage for the best regular season teams, and those teams should have to be eliminated in a seven game series (not five).

The first thing I’d do is go back to two 8-team divisions in each league, and divide them geographically. To do this, there would be two expansion teams (which MLB wants to add anyway), and total realignment. I’d just take a page from the NBA and divide the leagues based on geography as well.

Midwest Division

  1. Minnesota Twins
  2. Detroit Tigers
  3. Cleveland Guardians
  4. Chicago White Sox
  5. Chicago Cubs
  6. Milwaukee Brewers
  7. Kansas City Royals
  8. St. Louis Cardinals

Western Division

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. San Diego Padres
  3. Arizona Diamondbacks
  4. San Francisco Giants
  5. Colorado Rockies
  6. Oakland / Las Vegas Athletics
  7. Los Angeles California Angels
  8. Seattle Mariners

Southern Division

  1. Atlanta Braves
  2. Miami Florida Marlins
  3. Tampa Bay Rays
  4. Texas Rangers
  5. Houston Astros
  6. Cincinnati Reds
  7. Nashville ________
  8. Charlotte / Oklahoma City / New Orleans ________

Northeast Division

  1. New York Yankees
  2. New York Mets
  3. Philadelphia Phillies
  4. Boston Red Sox
  5. Toronto Blue Jays
  6. Pittsburgh Pirates
  7. Baltimore Orioles
  8. Washington Nationals

What surprised me about making out those divisions is how easy it was to come up with 8 teams for the West. So for that reason, I think an expansion team in Portland, Oregon is unnecessary. The South should have more teams – prior to 1966 it had zero teams, and then from 1966-1992 the Atlanta Braves were the only team in the south until the Marlins were added in 1993. Nashville is the next city to receive a team, and the second expansion team should come from a southern city, especially considering these cities already have NBA and NFL teams.

The next step takes another page from the NBA with their “play-in tournament”.

The winner of each of the above divisions would receive a bye into the division round of the playoffs. So no division winner would have to play in the wild card round – it would be explicitly for wild card teams. And it would be a play-in tournament.

In each league:

  • the 3 seed hosts the 4 seed; the winner moves on to the Division Series vs. the 2 seed
  • the 5 seed host the 6 seed; the loser is out of the playoffs
  • the loser of the 3/4 seed game hosts the winner of the 5/6 seed game, winner goes on to the Division series vs. the 1 seed

I like this because it happens quickly and it’s fun, and it’s nowhere near the footing you get if you’re a division winner, however, you’re still in the field. Also, it gives the higher wild card seeds a better advantage than just home field.

In the Division Series, make it seven games! I cannot stand the five game series. When you get to game 4 and down 2-1, it shouldn’t be up to your number 4 starter to save you from elimination…..which it isn’t in a seven game series. Really, I could argue it should be a nine game series considering the nature of baseball but I won’t be ridiculous – there should be seven game series across the board from the Division, LCS and World Series.

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