MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sparked plenty of lively debate over the weekend with his comments on live television about potential expansion and divisional realignment.
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said during ESPN's broadcast of Sunday's Little League Classic between the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel."
As fans began to speculate about what a possible geographic realignment could look like, it harkened back to a 2023 column from former MLB general manager Jim Bowden in The Athletic (subscription required) proposing such a realignment if the league were to add expansion teams in Nashville and Charlotte.