So the possible relocation of the A's got me to thinking about what we may see in the next few years. The alignment of MLB could very well look a whole lot different than it is today. I'd even suggest it's likely. In trying to come up with the "most likely scenario", this is something I could see happen. This may not be ideal for the Braves and I'm not totally on board with this, but it's a very plausible thing. Here's my thoughts:
*It's not official by any means, but I think the A's are gone from Oakland. MLB telling them to start looking at other markets makes me believe as such. Cities are being thrown around, but from what I've seen today, the leader seems to be Las Vegas. That makes a ton of sense to me. Not sure MLB wants to make a difficult realignment by moving them east of the Mississippi.
*The Rays are talking to officials in the Tampa Bay area, but I have similar pessimism with them as I do with the A's and Oakland. They've been talking about as long as the A's and Oakland have. The Rays owner has thrown around the dumb idea of splitting a season in Tampa Bay and Montreal. I think this is setting the stage for a relocation of the Rays and the return of the Montreal Expos.
*After a CBA is agreed to and clarity with the A's and Rays, then comes expansion to 32 teams. Manfred wants it. So who gets the expansion teams? I look at two cities that already have organizations looking to bring MLB to their areas. One is Portland. I haven't looked at it in a while, but the Portland Diamond Project has been working to get MLB there. I don't know if he still is, but Seahawks QB Russel Wilson was (is?) a part of it. The other is, and I know this will cause some groans, Nashville. It will cut into the Braves fan base, but Nashville has also made a great effort to get MLB there and their work so far has been impressive. What Nashville brings as a city is also a plus.
So with all the above factors, there will be realignment. A scenario to me is four divisions in both leagues of four teams each. Now, as much as I would love to say the postseason structure would be easy, all division winners, Manfred will not want to decrease the number of playoff eligible teams. Last season's format will likely be a similar structure to the postseason in the future. Four division winners, four wild cards, best of three Wild Card Round, best of five Division Series, and best of seven in the LCS and World Series.
The above factors would result in a possible alignment like this, including two teams changing leagues:
NL East: Expos (after Rays relocate to Montreal), Mets, Phillies, Pirates
NL North: Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds
NL South: Braves, Marlins, Nationals, Nashville Franchise
NL West: Dodgers, Giants, Rockies, Padres
AL East: Blue Jays, Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees
AL North: Indians (or whatever they'll be called in the future), Tigers, Twins, White Sox
AL South: Astros, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Royals
AL West: A's (after relocation to Las Vegas), Angels, Mariners, Portland Franchise
This is just an idea of mine and far from a guarantee of all the above happening. Another thing such as another city being picked for expansion or the Rays staying and everything above is blown up.
