Possible MLB expansion and re-alignment?

[G-Snarls]

[G-Snarls]

Wow

 

This is pretty drastic

 

Not sure I can see it happening

[KingKat]

 

There seems to an awful lot of speculation and next to no substance to that BA piece.

[AdamGreenwood]

The only thing I liked about that was the return of the Expos.

We don't need NY vs NY rivalries and Chicago vs Chicago rivalries.

It's more fun if there's a chance of facing eachother in the WorldSeries.

And you can't just force the teams to adopt national league or american league rules.

 

And don't even start that s*** about putting a DH in the national league.

[KingKat]

Wow

 

This is pretty drastic

 

Not sure I can see it happening

 

Feels a lot like click bait. "One proposal would.." Whose proposal? Tracy Ringolsby's? There's no real indication of where any of this coming from except for some vague sentiment from Manfred about including a Western team in any future expansion which tells us nothing about the actual desire to expand. The stuff about Montreal that the article leads has even less connection to anything Manfred might have said.

[G-Snarls]

Yeah I'm with King Kat

 

BA is all good for prospect news

 

But I don't see much of this as a credible news story...

[Abomination]

Wow

 

This is pretty drastic

 

Not sure I can see it happening

 

It's interesting. I'd kind of like to see them do away with the ASG though (maybe host skills competitions like the home run derby after the season in other countries to promote the game). Also, reduce the preseason slightly and start in cities with good climates or domes for the first two weeks or so.

[Bobthe4th]

There seems to an awful lot of speculation and next to no substance to that BA piece.

 

Yeah it's a big leap from wanting Portland and Montreal to have teams, to getting rid of the NL / AL. Surely it's more likely Oakland and Tampa are relocated than that.

[TheHurl]

Expansion is one way to make changes that on their own wouldn't happen...and it is then in general considered a positive (if he suggests removing the DH from the NL on it's own there will be a f*** tonne of annoying traditionalists saying "why change the game"). Realign everything, making some other changes necessary. More playoff games means the bidding for the contract is still going to be around the same as the last one...which keeps the owners onside even though there will be less home games. This goes along with what I've been saying all along is that the game is in need of some changes.

[KingKat]

This goes along with what I've been saying all along is that the game is in need of some changes.

 

Sure but is there any indication that a plan like this is actually being discussed at the moment? The article never mentions any kind of source.

[TheHurl]

Sure but is there any indication that a plan like this is actually being discussed at the moment? The article never mentions any kind of source.

 

There is probably a lot of speculation in this article, but at the last Winter meetings there was a lot of buzz about realignment and removing the NL pitchers hitting. It makes sense to do something that isn't going to make a large chunk of fans happy at the same time as something which you can use as a distraction.

 

DH removed - Look Portland releases their nickname.

 

Re-alignment - Hey Expos are back and have shiny new uniforms.

[AdamGreenwood]

There is probably a lot of speculation in this article, but at the last Winter meetings there was a lot of buzz about realignment and removing the NL pitchers hitting. It makes sense to do something that isn't going to make a large chunk of fans happy at the same time as something which you can use as a distraction.

 

DH removed - Look Portland releases their nickname.

 

Re-alignment - Hey Expos are back and have shiny new uniforms.

 

Oh well, then, why not just make it like football and have an offensive and a defensive team.

Does anyone want to see Alcides Escobar hit? What about Sandy Leon? Just bring in a bunch of goony, steroid type hitters to mash the ball over the fence.

[TheHurl]

Oh well, then, why not just make it like football and have an offensive and a defensive team.

Does anyone want to see Alcides Escobar hit? What about Sandy Leon? Just bring in a bunch of goony, steroid type hitters to mash the ball over the fence.

 

I am all for no DH in the NL. The reasoning brought forth in the 70’s is barely relevant now as it seldom is that legendary player extending their career because they are able to DH. But from a business point of view it makes complete sense. More scoring is good for the game and it protects some already fragile assets from doing something which they don’t train for. Maybe someday they will have rules outlawing Alcedes from ever picking up a bat…but only to please you AG.

[FrozenRopes]

Montreal, Las Vegas, Vancouver and where else?

[Governator]

Montreal, Las Vegas, Vancouver and where else?

 

Sudbury

[Jonn]

Don't want to read to much into this but in scenario in which Montreal gets a team I really hope its in the same division as Toronto. It just makes so much sense.

[jays4life19]

Sudbury

 

Nah. Windsor.

[P2F]

Nah, it'll be Muskoka. The Muskoka Muskellunges.

[Abomination]

Don't want to read to much into this but in scenario in which Montreal gets a team I really hope its in the same division as Toronto. It just makes so much sense.

 

It's too bad in some ways that owners can't own multiple teams. If Rogers could own both the Jays and new Expos, there wouldn't need to be any issues with territory compensation or reduction in revenue from a second team in Canada.

[Dick_Pole]

It's too bad in some ways that owners can't own multiple teams. If Rogers could own both the Jays and new Expos, there wouldn't need to be any issues with territory compensation or reduction in revenue from a second team in Canada.

 

Ha! Bell is totally owning that. Also Rogers can eat an unlimited bag of dicks if they whine about territory compensation. You can't own a whole f***ing country, man. I am totally 100% against the Expos in the AL. Tor-Mon World Series. Keep the dream alive.

 

The rest of that article can also eat several bag of dicks. There was that rumour about drastic realignment years ago...Chicago teams in the same division etc. And that got nowhere as it should. I think it's all clickbait. The game changes incrementally with time. From one playoff spot per division to five over the course of several decades. It doesn't change that drastically overnight. This isn't the NHL which grew out of 6 teams that played against each other all the time so extreme divisional overhauls aren't such a big deal. There's a certain mystique to the game that would be lost if the White Sox and Cubs played each other 20+ times a year.

[G-Snarls]