So there’s this MLB realignment rumor that is floating about:
ESPN, citing sources, said the plan would move a National League team to the American League and create two 15-team leagues. Currently there are 16 NL teams and 14 AL teams.
The current six divisions would be eliminated, interleague play would continue, and teams from each league would compete for five playoff spots.
The Astros and Marlins are reported to be the leading candidates to switch to the other league. There are positives and negatives to the rumored plan, but one thing is sure: MLB will screw it up.
Certainly, trying to even up the divisions is a good idea. It’s not fair for some teams to face a six-team division, while there are only four teams in other divisions. As for adding a playoff team, I wouldn’t mind it if that extra spot were limited to a second wild-card team, with the two wild-card teams playing a one-game playoff for the right to face the team with the league’s best record in a division series. Of course, I’m sure — again — that MLB will screw that up somehow.
The biggest objection from the peanut gallery seems to be that, with fifteen-team leagues, there will have to be interleague play on every day of the season. Personally, I think they should just get rid of interleague play altogether, but that’s not going to happen.
Interleague play is a joke anyway, so who cares if teams are playing opponents from the other league in late September during pennant races? If MLB cared about the integrity of the pennant races, they wouldn’t have interleague play or unbalanced schedules in the first place.
What are your thoughts?