Rosenthal on Realignment

[Backtobanks]

He thinks it's time to seperate the Yankees and the Red Sox to give the other 3 teams a chance.

 

MODEST REALIGNMENT In this scenario, the Red Sox and Tigers switch divisions, and the Astros move to the AL West. Each league would include 15 teams rather than the current 16 and 14, requiring an inter-league series to be played at all times.

AL East AL Central AL West NL East NL Central NL West

Yankees Red Sox Angels Braves Cubs Dodgers

Tigers White Sox Rangers Phillies Cardinals Giants

Rays Twins Mariners Mets Brewers Diamondbacks

Orioles Indians Athletics Marlins Reds Rockies

Blue Jays Royals Astros Nationals Pirates Padres

Advantages:

• The Yankees and Red Sox are broken up, creating better opportunities to reach the postseason for other teams in the East: the Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays.

• The Yankees and Red Sox would play each other fewer times under an unbalanced schedule, increasing the odds that each would reach the postseason — and satisfying MLB’s television partners, including FOX.

• The Astros would play in the same division as the Rangers, their in-state rivals.

 

Disadvantages

• The Tigers would be sacrificial lambs for competitive balance, moving from a division without an economic super power to one that includes the Yankees.

• Fans of the Yankees and Red Sox would lament the change in their historic rivalry.

 

RADICAL REALIGNMENT The current leagues and divisions are completely torn up, with geographic rivalries receiving a greater emphasis. Each league would include 15 teams.

AL Atlantic AL Great Lakes AL Pacific NL East NL Midwest NL Southwest

Mets Twins Dodgers Red Sox Cubs Diamondbacks

Yankees Pirates Angels Phillies Cardinals Rockies

Blue Jays Indians Athletics Braves White Sox Rangers

Orioles Tigers Giants Marlins Brewers Astros

Nationals Reds Mariners Rays Royals Padres

Advantages:

• The best of the inter-league series (the regional and intra-city rivalries) would become a staple of the regular season.

• The idea of playing an inter-league series at all times would be less offensive; the old league boundaries would be gone.

• The Red Sox and Yankees would be split, with each inheriting a new high-revenue division rival: the Phillies would play in the Red Sox's division, the Mets in the Yankees'.

 

Disadvantages

• The historic integrity of the leagues would be lost.

•Combining teams from both leagues would require MLB to either use the designated hitter for all 30 clubs or abandon it completely.

• The All-Star Game would carry less meaning and likely would need to be restructured.

• The two Florida teams would remain at a competitive disadvantage, playing in the same division as the Red Sox and Phillies.

 

REVENUE REALIGNMENT Teams are grouped in greater accordance to their revenues and geographic considerations.

AL Money AL Budget AL Southeast NL Great Lakes NL West NL Southwest

Yankees Blue Jays Braves Cubs Dodgers Diamondbacks

Mets Pirates Nationals White Sox Angels Rockies

Red Sox Royals Orioles Cardinals Mariners Rangers

Phillies Reds Marlins Tigers Giants Astros

New Jersey A's Indians Rays Twins Brewers Padres

 

Advantages:

• Most low-revenue teams would stand a greater chance of reaching the postseason.

• The big-money teams in the northeast would fight it out with one another.

• New York would gain a third team, cutting into the economic might of the Yankees and Mets.

 

Disadvantages

• The historic integrity of the leagues would be lost.

• Several low-revenue teams still would play in the same division as high-revenue clubs.

• The postseason would be less appealing with poor teams facing the rich.

• Combining teams from both leagues would require MLB to either use the designated hitter for all 30 clubs or abandon it completely.

[erik316wttn]

Leave the divisions as-is. The other 3 teams do have a chance. Tampa won the pennant 2 years ago.

 

Realignment isn't the solution. A cap is.

[The Voice of Reason]

ESPN would never allow it.

[UMFan83]

Haha, strange to suggest that it's not fair to have the Yankees and Red Sox in the same division when the Rays just won the division a year ago. It's tough to rationalize how much effect the Yankees and Red Sox have had on other teams, but I'm sure one of those 85+ win Blue Jays teams of the mid 00's could have stolen a division title or two if they were in the AL Central, and maybe last year's Rays team could have competed better in the Central had they not had to play the Red Sox and Yankees 19 times each last year. So part of it is the other 3 AL East teams being penalized by having two $175m+ juggernauts in their division, part of it is rewarding teams like the Twins who won multiple division titles in the last decade playing in what's mostly been a mediocre division. I don't think they can realign, and if they do, will they do it again in 10 years if the Giants and Dodgers find a way to maximize their revenues and have a Yankees/Red Sox west?

[Schwarber Fan]

I'd just move the Astros to the AL west and be done with it.

[17 Seconds]

Haha, strange to suggest that it's not fair to have the Yankees and Red Sox in the same division when the Rays just won the division a year ago.

 

and it took a ridiculous season and 97 wins to do it

 

i don't know if realignment is the answer, but i definitely agree that it's not fair to those other teams in that division. it's tough going into every seasion knowing that you're probably going to have to win around 95 games to make the playoffs (and will have to do it while playing NY and BOS a ton of times). when spring training starts you know it's basically going to take a dream type season to make the playoffs, as opposed maybe getting hot at the right time and having a chance to sneak in with 85-90 wins

[Rob]

Of course he thinks it's a good idea to have the Red Sox be the ones who move out of the AL East. Their travel for intra-division games would be a killer with the unbalanced schedule.

[Proven Veteran]

Get rid of the divisions, top 4 make it in each league.

[NewUserName]

Don't want to complain like a little school girl Banks, but that was very difficult to read.

[Backtobanks]

When I copied and pasted it, it didn't come out lined up. I tried editing, but it still didn't line up. You can find Rosenthal's column at foxsports.com.

[UMFan83]

When I copied and pasted it, it didn't come out lined up. I tried editing, but it still didn't line up. You can find Rosenthal's column at foxsports.com.

 

 

Try this:

AL East    AL Central  AL West    NL East    NL Central  NL West
Yankees    Red Sox     Angels     Braves     Cubs        Dodgers
Tigers     White Sox   Rangers    Phillies   Cardinals   Giants
Rays       Twins       Mariners   Mets       Brewers     Diamondbacks
Orioles    Indians     Athletics  Marlins    Reds        Rockies
Blue Jays  Royals      Astros     Nationals  Pirates     Padres 

 

Basically he suggests switching the Tigers and Red Sox, and then evening out the AL West and NL Central with the other divisions by moving the Astros to the AL West.

 

It's not a bad plan, but it would depend on whether Houston would be ok with going to the AL. I also think instead it might be a good idea to move the Brewers back to the AL Central, and the Royals to the AL West. I've read before that the Brewers wouldn't be opposed to going back to the AL. Although I think they like our rivalry with the Cubs.

[Sammys Boombox]

I really disagree with Rosenthal. How can an east coast city be in the central division? Divisions should be based mainly on geography and not on the current competitive climate of the league.

[NCCubFan]

I really disagree with Rosenthal. How can an east coast city be in the central division? Divisions should be based mainly on geography and not on the current competitive climate of the league.

Tell that to the NFL.

[Magdal]

What a stupid waste of ink! Change the Div. because the Yanks/Sawks win?? Besides, Boston is gonna go DOWN w/out Manny and the fat, ageing Poppy being that he must find a new masking agent for his HGH.

 

The leagues deffinately need to be reealigned, but it won't happen in OUR lifetime.

[17 Seconds]

Besides, Boston is gonna go DOWN w/out Manny and the fat, ageing Poppy being that he must find a new masking agent for his HGH.

 

yeah, they didn't have those 2 guys last year and they were atrocious

[Derwood]

this is idiocy

[ISUCubsFan]

Realigning divisions based on current team quality sounds like a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The competitive balance changes every season, and in a few years you'll have to change divisions again to keep up. And even if the Yankees and Red Sox averaged 90 wins until the end of time it would be hard to convince them to split into separate divisions when they make a ton of money playing each other.

[jersey cubs fan]

Taking Boston out of the East is stupid, but going 15/15 with an interleague matchup at all times is the right thing to do.

 

3 division winners in each league, 2 wild cards in each league. The WC play a 1 game playoff for the right to face the #1 seed, which means more teams are in the race for a playoff spot, more emphasis is placed on winning your division, and there is more benefit to being that #1 seed (because you'd get to face a team that just played a 1 game playoff to face you).

 

In any given year, an AL East rival can claim the division to themselves, or emerge as one of the two WC. It's only been about a decade that Boston has been a superpower, no need to reallign that obvious rivalry.

[wtrerushville]

I really disagree with Rosenthal. How can an east coast city be in the central division? Divisions should be based mainly on geography and not on the current competitive climate of the league.

Tell that to the NFL.

 

Wasn't that long ago (1969-1993) that the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds were in the NL WEST

[Derwood]

I really disagree with Rosenthal. How can an east coast city be in the central division? Divisions should be based mainly on geography and not on the current competitive climate of the league.

Tell that to the NFL.

 

Wasn't that long ago (1969-1993) that the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds were in the NL WEST

 

which was idiotic, thus the realignment

[champaignchris]

Odd to be coming up with this now. Four years ago, there was an 8 year streak where the two came in 1-2 each year. Since then, Toronto came in 2nd in 2006 and TB won the division in 2008.

 

So Boston and NY have been 1-2 in their division 10 of the last 12 years. I don't think that's a reason for re-alignment. Heck, either the Cubs or Cardinals have won the NL Central for 8 years running, likely to be a ninth this year. Should we break them up, too?

 

These things are generational. Go back 15 years ago and Baltimore and Toronto were the big players in the East. Things are much more likely to change than to stay the same. Basically, get back to us in another 10 years. If the trend's continued it might be worth considering.

[Guest]

I definitely like the idea of putting Houston in the AL West to create 15/15 and one interleague match up at all times. Then do away with the rest of the interleague crap.

 

Texas gets a nice rivalry and a break from the non stop travel to the west coast for most of their away games.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The MLB schedule is brutal to try to piece together anyway. I think you guys are underestimating how much harder the "15/15, 1 interleague series at all times" thing would be.

[jersey cubs fan]

The MLB schedule is brutal to try to piece together anyway. I think you guys are underestimating how much harder the "15/15, 1 interleague series at all times" thing would be.

 

It's not hard.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The MLB schedule is brutal to try to piece together anyway. I think you guys are underestimating how much harder the "15/15, 1 interleague series at all times" thing would be.

 

It's not hard.

 

Then try it.