You're against contraction, you've admitted expansion's a bad idea, yet you want to realign divisions... albeit this would require expansion in the AL... alrighty.

 

 

considering expansion requires creating a new franchise and contraction requires removing a franchise... nice try. Moving a team is neither contraction nor expansion. If anything, it's relocation, and it doesnt even have to be that. It's realignment and/or relocation, but certainly not expansion. Alrighty.

I've played with multiple iterations of what I would do with the current teams with regards to realignment and none work out the way I want it to because of how teams are disbursed throughout the country.

 

I've been trying to create "hyper regional" divisions where teams like the White Sox, Cubs, Brewers, and Twins are in one division while the D-Backs, Padres, Dodgers and Angels are in another. To make this work, another 2 teams need to be added (an upper east coast team and a south east team), and well, that doesnt work for me as 30 is already too many (I believe that no professional sports league should have more than 26 or 28 teams).

 

So, I changed my plan of attack. I thought: "I'm going to play MLB God and change what I would do if I were commissioner". I decided to add one major restraint: I cant remove a team that has recently built a new stadium. I did this because the logistics of contracting a team with a new stadium is cost prohibitive.

 

Here is what I came up with:

• Either eliminate the DH in the AL or adopt it to the NL (I vote the latter)
  
• Contract the Oakland Athletics and KC Royals. Why? Athletics are wandering the the wildernaess right now and KC was the only other real option.
  
• This is where it gets interesting...
  
• Move the Brewers to the AL Central
  
• Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, and Houston Astros join The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays in the new AL South
  
• Colorado Rockies move to the NL Central
  
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners join the new NL West
  

I dont like having an 6 team NL West, but it's one of the few scenarios that works. (Another option is to move the D-Backs to the AL South and the Brewers stay in the NL central, but I dont like the idea of one division spanning the entire continent.

I have always been tickled at the fact that an NFL team can lose all of its division games and still technically win the division if they win their other 10 games.

I like a balanced schedule because of fairness of it. I would create two 15 team leagues. Maybe one for the East and one for the West. There would be no divisions within each league. Each team would play 7 league teams 9 games and the other 7 league teams 8 games and each opposing league team 3 games. The season would be extended to 164 games. Top 4 teams in each league make the Playoffs.

I'm not sure but I think there could be an interleague series at all time. If my math is correct there would be 75 interleague series with 225 games so they could be spread out throughout the season.

Ugh. If MLB expands they need to give Montreal another shot. Charlotte, NC don't deserve a MLB team. They got lucky getting another NBA team. Only team I care about in NC is CAROLINA PANTHERS.

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I'd remove Tampa out of the mix. They are a franchise in the positive direction, and all they've done is gone up in the past few years. Even if they are financially on the same level as the rest of those teams, they've got a positive outlook to say the least. They'd be last on that list for me.

I like a balanced schedule because of fairness of it. I would create two 15 team leagues. Maybe one for the East and one for the West. There would be no divisions within each league. Each team would play 7 league teams 9 games and the other 7 league teams 8 games and each opposing league team 3 games. The season would be extended to 164 games. Top 4 teams in each league make the Playoffs.

 

 

Ugh, no. I like divisions.

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I am against Contraction. Horrible aspect. I rather see a team move.

 

Toronto has won two World Series Titles. They can draw a crowd. The Problem? AL East. It was bad enough with the Yankees and Red Sox, now Tampa Bay has grown up in the last few years. I already want to trash the MLB Logo itself for what it did in Montreal.......I would give up on MLB for good if they got rid of Toronto. I quit watching MLB for 3 years, maybe 4, when they destroyed Montreal.

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I am against Contraction. Horrible aspect. I rather see a team move.

 

Toronto has won two World Series Titles. They can draw a crowd. The Problem? AL East. It was bad enough with the Yankees and Red Sox, now Tampa Bay has grown up in the last few years. I already want to trash the MLB Logo itself for what it did in Montreal.......I would give up on MLB for good if they got rid of Toronto. I quit watching MLB for 3 years, maybe 4, when they destroyed Montreal.

 

I say MLB needs a salary cap. The Yankees and the Red Soxs are freaking ridiclous with all this money therefore Toronto will never win the division.

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I am against Contraction. Horrible aspect. I rather see a team move.

 

Toronto has won two World Series Titles. They can draw a crowd. The Problem? AL East. It was bad enough with the Yankees and Red Sox, now Tampa Bay has grown up in the last few years. I already want to trash the MLB Logo itself for what it did in Montreal.......I would give up on MLB for good if they got rid of Toronto. I quit watching MLB for 3 years, maybe 4, when they destroyed Montreal.

 

I say MLB needs a salary cap. The Yankees and the Red Soxs are freaking ridiclous with all this money therefore Toronto will never win the division.

 

Put the cap at 120 Million. Highest at 120 Million, or low at 80 million.

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I am against Contraction. Horrible aspect. I rather see a team move.

 

Toronto has won two World Series Titles. They can draw a crowd. The Problem? AL East. It was bad enough with the Yankees and Red Sox, now Tampa Bay has grown up in the last few years. I already want to trash the MLB Logo itself for what it did in Montreal.......I would give up on MLB for good if they got rid of Toronto. I quit watching MLB for 3 years, maybe 4, when they destroyed Montreal.

 

I say MLB needs a salary cap. The Yankees and the Red Soxs are freaking ridiclous with all this money therefore Toronto will never win the division.

 

Put the cap at 120 Million. Highest at 120 Million, or low at 80 million.

 

That means the Yankees would have to get rid of all their players...

I think the only teams you can contract are Oakland, Kansas City, and Toronto. Tampa is borderline. The Rays didn't come into the AL until 1998, but the ground was broken for the Trop in 1986.

 

In the case of Tampa, it could be a scenario where the Rays franchise were to move to Kansas City, but baseball would no longer exist in Tampa.

 

 

I'd remove Tampa out of the mix. They are a franchise in the positive direction, and all they've done is gone up in the past few years. Even if they are financially on the same level as the rest of those teams, they've got a positive outlook to say the least. They'd be last on that list for me.

 

Being that I am from the Chicago area, I'm not plugged into the state of the Rays stadium situation. What's going on right now? I thought I read they are looking to possibly move across the bay (and closer to where the high speed rail will be)

Put the cap at 120 Million. Highest at 120 Million, or low at 80 million.

 

 

That means the Yankees would have to get rid of all their players...

 

That's kind of the point... level the playing field. I like the idea of a cap (somewhere between 120-150) a LOT but MLBPA will NEVER EVER allow it.

Merge the Marlins and Rays in 2012 for the opening of the new ballpark and you should have a team that wins like 3 or 4 World Series in the next decade!

I would hate to see the Pirates contracted(and with the moves they have made over the last few years, a Tampa like resurgence isnt out of the question for them either).