Major League Baseball may expand to 32 teams after nearly 30 years at 30 franchises. Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed support for expansion and proposed geographic realignment to accompany growth. Geographic realignment would aim to reduce player travel and boost postseason appeal for broadcasters through East-versus-West matchups. A 32-team structure would likely increase divisions to eight while shrinking each division to four teams, replacing the current six five-team divisions. Expansion could prompt a move away from traditional American and National League labels toward Eastern and Western conferences. Divisional rivalries and team placements, such as between the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, could change significantly.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has always spoken positively about the idea of expansion, and during Sunday Night Baseball and the MLB Little League Classic this past weekend, he once again reinforced the idea of MLB adding more teams to the league. "I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign" Manfred said during 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 up 'out of the East, out of the West.'"
If Manfred's plan is executed and MLB expands to 32 teams in the next few years, there could be drastic changes coming to MLB's divisions and postseason format. 32 teams would likely mean the number of divisions will increase and the size of divisions will decrease. Instead of six divisions of five teams, it would likely be eight divisions of four teams. Manfred suggested a division more strictly based on geography could be likely in an effort to reduce travel throughout the season.
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