Major League Baseball expansion to 32 teams could be coupled with a geographic realignment into eastern and western conferences. A geographic realignment could reduce travel and lessen wear and tear on players by limiting long west-coast road trips for east and midwest teams. An east/west conference layout could mirror other American sports and make postseason matchups more appealing to broadcasters. Potential benefits include improved scheduling and broadcast timing. Potential downsides include disruption of historical league structures like the American and National Leagues, complication of historical records and milestones, and the possible erosion of traditional rivalries.
"I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign," Manfred said on the broadcast. "I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you'd be playing out of the east and out of the west."
Baseball is a sport steeped in history, and the loss of the AL/NL structure would necessarily complicate our view of that history. Had the league moved away from the AL/NL structure previously, would Aaron Judge's chase for 62 home runs in 2022 have been nearly as noteworthy? Without a division between the two leagues, Judge would simply be seventh on the single-season home run leaderboard, rather than the AL record holder.
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