MLB realignment? Manfred is half right

Supposedly, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to expand from 30 to 32 teams, with Montreal and Portland being the targets.

So far, so good. For scheduling reasons, the league needs to either add two teams or lose two, if it’s not going to go back to the old 16-team National League and 14-team American League, in my opinion. Montreal is prepped for the return of baseball, and Portland is probably the best option for a second team. For more on the "which cities" issue, see this old blog post.

After that?

Manfred also wants to junk the AL and NL, merge them into one combined league and foist (yes, that’s the word) the designated hitter on all 32 teams.

Sorry, Rob, but you lost me there. Yes, I know many other leagues internationally, as well as US minor leagues, use the DH. Yes, I know that DH ideas were broached nearly a century ago, so appeals to the pitcher batting as “traditional” aren’t all-powerful.

But, I can also say that I’m sure the DH is part of why AL games are longer than NL ones, another matter of concern on Manfred’s plate.

Manfred supposedly wants to add yet another playoff team in each half of a combined league, or whatever, for 12 total.

I’ll pass on that one, too. I have no desire for baseball to become yet more like the NFL, let alone the possibility of the NBA or NHL in a watered-down playoff system.

So, let’s take the top part of his idea and stop there.

Let’s add one team each to the current AL and NL and go from there.

Here's how this plays out in terms of alignment and scheduling.

We could have either four four-team divisions per league, or two eight-team divisions.

I have four playoff teams either way, with allowing both wild cards to come from the same division with eight-team divisions. That actually tightens things up a bit from the current.

Here's how the scheduling would work.

Eight-team divisions:
1. Three games against each team in one division from the other league = 24 games.
2. Eight games against each team in the other division in your league = 64 games.
3. Eleven games against four teams in your division and ten games against the other three = 74 games and you're at 162.

Four-team divisions, option 1:
1. Three games against each team in two divisions from the other league = 24 games.
2. Eight games against each team in the other three divisions in your league = 96 games.
3. Fourteen games against the teams in your division = 42 games and you're at 162.

Four-team divisions, option 2:
1. Three games against each team in two divisions from the other league = 24 games.
2. Eight games against eight teams in the other divisions in your league and nine against four teams = 102 games.
3. Twelve games against the teams in your division = 36 games and you're at 162.

In any of these cases, two 12-game sets of interleague games, say mid-May and end of July, takes care of that. The rest of the season is in-league baseball, with scheduling somewhat slanted toward one division, but not overly so.

Manfred has also supposedly talked about a shorter schedule and a day off every week. Well, baseball already has more days off than 20 years ago. Add yet more and a 12-team playoff set, even with a shorter schedule, and we’ll likely have a November World Series about every other year.

With eight-team divisions, I can get his desired 156 games AND kill interleague play entirely. Play each team in your division 12 times and the other division nine times. Or with four-team divisions, play each team in your division 12 times and 10 times for the rest of the league. Keep a four-team playoff for each league and we're set.

Pay me $50K for a consulting fee and we're good to go, Rob!