"That was when the last major realignment happened and at the time, Blue Jays ownership lobbied hard to stay in the AL East with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in order to make higher revenues at the gate. It was a known fact that those two teams' fan bases travel well to visiting cities. With nine home games against each club every single year, Blue Jays ownership couldn't resist the quick cash grab those nine home dates would bring."
"In reality though, playing in the same division against two teams with the deepest pockets in the game backfired for almost twenty years and it wasn't until Rogers took over as owners and started to invest in the team that Toronto has been able to keep pace somewhat with Boston and New York. Now with realignment and expansion potentially on the horizon, the Blue Jays should right a wrong, in order to sustain their current success."
"MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made an appearance on WFAN's The Craig Carton Show where he spoke about the possibility of adding two teams, and as a result, realigning the current division configuration. "I think if you did it, you'd probably be eight (divisions) with four (teams each). I think you would try to keep two-team cities separate. That would be my thinking.""
Ownership prioritized short-term gate revenue by lobbying to remain in the AL East with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox during the mid-1990s realignment. The presence of two high-spending, large-market teams with nine annual home dates increased revenue but created an extremely competitive division. That divisional alignment hampered Toronto's competitiveness for nearly twenty years. Rogers' later ownership and investment helped Toronto begin to close the gap with Boston and New York. Potential MLB expansion to 32 teams and realignment into eight geographic divisions of four could allow Toronto to escape the historical imbalance and sustain current success.
Read at Jays Journal
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