Vital modifications might be on the horizon for MLB.
Ought to the league increase to 32 groups, the divisions might be restructured primarily based on location, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred urged throughout ESPN’s broadcast of the “Little League Classic” between the Mets and Seattle Mariners.
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred stated Sunday night time. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel.”
Manfred didn’t get into specifics, however he has stated prior to now that he hopes to have the cities chosen for 2 new groups by the point he retires in 2029.
The NBA splits its franchises into Jap and Western Conferences, and beneath that format, groups in the identical market — together with the Knicks and Nets — are in the identical division.
MLB operates otherwise, with the Yankees within the American League and the Mets within the Nationwide League, for instance. Los Angeles and Chicago each have one workforce within the AL and one within the NL, too.
“I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you’d be playing out of the East, out of the West, and that 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim would be two West Coast teams,” Manfred stated.
“That 10 o’clock slot that’s a problem for us, sometimes, becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”
MLB final expanded earlier than the 1998 season, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays joined the league.
The final divisional realignment occurred earlier than the 2013 season, when the Houston Astros moved from the NL West to the AL West. That change evened out the six divisions, leaving every with 5 groups.
A geographical realignment would probably be rather more drastic.
“This is what I’ve been telling you is inevitable for quite a while now,” Mets radio voice Howie Rose wrote on social media. “The American League (1901) and the National League (1876) will cease to exist as we know them. The last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great.”
Initially Revealed: August 18, 2025 at 4:55 PM EDT
