Rumor has it that MLB is considering eliminating divisions and moving one team from the NL to the AL in order to create two 15-team leagues with five playoff teams per league. It's not a perfect idea, but hire it.
According to ESPN, the talks are serious though it's not clear how likely adoption of the plan could be.
This proposal would essentially return baseball to its pre-1969 alignment but with more playoff teams. Details on travel and scheduling haven't been released, but this has the potential to make all 15 teams within the league into rivals and it recognizes that some of the current divisions are consistently weak and don't deserve an automatic playoff birth. Despite the change, it actually wouldn't alter the playoff picture too drastically. If the new playoff format were in place and the season ended June 14, the AL playoff teams would be the Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Rangers and Tigers; the NL teams would be the Phillies, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals and Giants.
Having a team change leagues also isn't a problem. Reportedly, the teams that could move to the AL are the Marlins or Astros. When Milwaukee changed leagues in 1998 there was some backlash, but it was short lived and today nobody really cares that the team moved. The same would likely happen with Florida or Houston, teams with small fan bases anyway.
The biggest issue, aside from unknown travel and scheduling issues, is that adding a fifth playoff team in each league would necessitate a bye for two teams. That's not ideal, but MLB can't add too many more playoff teams or it risks becoming the NBA where half the teams make the postseason and the regular season is pretty meaningless. More playoff teams means more fan interest, and if teams are vying for a playoff bye they will take late September games more seriously. Fans have voiced few complaints about the current divisional alignment, but what Phillies fan would miss seeing the Nationals 18-19 times per year? This idea is worth a try, and if it doesn't work MLB could always change it again.
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