Friday, May 27, 2011

Realignment in Baseball

I visited http://mlbreports.com/ today, and saw a great post on realignment in baseball. This prompted a response, which I am posting below and on their site.

Realignment presents a number of problems, however there are factors to consider before it should ever occur in MLB. This is a topic far more complex than just shifting around teams. To do this right, numerous factors must be considered; factors that impact the future of the league in its entirety.

The first factor to consider the long term health of the league and its franchises to see if any teams can relocate to a better environment. Which franchises are in financial danger, either due to attendance concerns, ballpark issues, or ownership concerns? L.A. Dodgers have a beautiful ballpark, but their ownership is in shambles. However, they are an iconic team, they aren't going anywhere. The Rays have a much shorter, albeit very successful recent history. They have attendance and ballpark issues. They are a team that everyone should agree that from a solely fiscal standpoint, they should be near the top of the list if contraction ever comes up again. The Pirates have been terrible for many years with weak attendance, but they have a great ballpark and if they ever put a good product back on the field, they'll have consistent sellouts. The A's have a rotten ballpark, but decent ownership. The Marlins are a good franchise, but  are getting a new stadium soon, apparently.

Will/Can/Should any of these teams relocate to greener pastures? Should the league contract? Should the league expand? No need to shake up the league without answering some of these questions prior to realigning the divisions.

Let's look at the time zone breakdown of the league. There are 14 teams in Eastern time, 8 teams in Central time, 2 teams in Mountain, and 6 in Pacific. Currently, the AL West stretches across 3 time zones, and approximately 2,000 miles. That must change. The West has grow heavily in population over the decades, yet of the last three expansions (1977, 1993, and 1998), only half of the teams were added west of Central Time (Seattle, Colorado, Arizona). Florida picked up two teams and Toronto received the other. While you cannot go off of this info alone, as first glance, I would think it possible that at least one of two future expansion teams will be placed in either Las Vegas or Portland in the Pacific timezone. The other franchise should go to either San Antonio, Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando, Oklahoma City, a third NYC team, or even another foreign team, like Mexico City (doubtful, at least until their drug cartel issues are settled) or a return to Montreal. There are numerous holes with any choice, understandably, because the expansion process will be a toss-up. Portland doesn't even have a AAA baseball team at the moment and pro sports has seemed hesitant to move a franchise to Sin City. Nashville supports its Titans, but is it really a 3 sport town? San Antonio has the population, but will it support a MLB franchise? Is there space to build a pro ballpark in NYC? Will it be in Brooklyn? Can we stomach another NYC team?

I do believe baseball is ready to expand. I understand the fears of many purists that the game is too diluted, however by the time new franchises would be in place, we'll be creeping up on 20 years since the last expansion. More pitchers are coming from overseas, like Japan, Korea, and Australia. The World Baseball Classic has been a success. College players are becoming more polished and pro-ready every year. The Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities (RBI) program has been a success. Training is improved and recovery time from injuries has been significantly reduced since the 1990s.

So, here is what I would do, in scenario A, where Portland and either San Antonio/Nashville/Charlotte are awarded a team:

AL West: LAA, OAK, SEA, AZ (move from NL)
AL South: TEX, BAL, TBR, San Antonio/Nashville/Charlotte Expansion
AL North: DET, CWS, MIN, KCR
AL East: CLE, NYY, BOS, TOR

NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, Portland Expansion
NL South: HOU, WSN, ATL, FLA
NL North: COL, STL, CHC, MIL
NL East: PHI, CIN, PIT, NYM

Scenario B, where San Antonio/Nashville/Charlotte and New York City are awarded teams:

AL West: LAA, OAK, SEA, AZ (move from NL)
AL South: TEX, BAL, TBR, San Antonio/Nashville/Charlotte Expansion
AL North: DET, CWS, MIN, KCR
AL East: CLE, NYY, BOS, New York Expansion

NL West: LAD, SDP, SFG, COL
NL South: HOU, WSN, ATL, FLA
NL North: STL, CHC, MIL, TOR (move from AL)
NL East: PHI, CIN, PIT, NYM

The expansion possibilities seem logical. Rivalries remain largely intact, even across interleague boundaries. The only teams that switch leagues are among the last three expansions, leaving long established teams in their original divisions. No division crosses more than 2 time zones, reducing travel costs, jet lag, and prime time viewership opportunities for fans and sponsors.

That's it! Your thoughts?