Some changes I thought would be interesting:

32 teams
- Oakland Athletics > Las Vegas Athletics
- Expansion: Charlotte Knights
- Expansion: Nashville Stars

2 leagues, 4 divisions, 4 teams per division

156 game regular season
- Division (36 games): 12 games with each opponent
- Interleague Division (24 games): 6 games with each opponent
- League Cross-Division (72 games): 6 games with each opponent
- Interleague Cross-Division (24 games): 3 games with each opponent in 2 of 3 divisions; rotate unplayed division

14 team playoff: best-of-5 wild card round & ALDS/NLDS; best-of-7 ALCS/NLCS and World Series; #1 seed in each league gets a bye to the divisional series

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Alignment

American League
Central: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins
East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees
South: Charlotte Knights, Nashville Stars, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
West: Arizona Diamondbacks, Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners

National League
Central: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals
East: New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays
South: Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals
West: Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants

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Sample Schedule - Chicago Cubs

Division - 12 games each: Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals

Interleague Division - 6 games each: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins

League Cross-Division - 6 games each: Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Interleague Cross-Division - 3 games each:
Year X - Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Charlotte Knights, Detroit Tigers, Nashville Stars, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees
Year Y - Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners
Year Z - Arizona Diamondbacks, Charlotte Knights, Las Vegas Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Nashville Stars, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers

I like it but I think it would make more sense to keep the Astros in the AL and place an expansion team in each league

(02-09-2024 08:13 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I like it but I think it would make more sense to keep the Astros in the AL and place an expansion team in each league

As fun as our time in the AL has been, I think most Astros fans yearn to get back into the NL, where most of our history is and where got extorted out of playing in by an incompetent, corrupt commissioner (why didn't the Brewers, his old team, simply go back to the AL?).

Eight divisions of four.

Teams play 54 series of 3 games each:

18 interleague series (two whole divisions, plus one team from each of the other two divisions)
24 series in the league, but outside the division (two against every team)
12 series in the division (four against each team)

AL West - Portland*, Las Vegas, LA Angels, Seattle
AL Central - Milwaukee, Minnesota, Kansas City, Texas
AL North - Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago White Sox, Toronto
AL East - Tampa Bay, Baltimore, NY Yankees, Boston

NL West - San Diego, LA Dodgers, San Francisco, Arizona
NL North - Colorado, Saint Louis, Chicago Cubs, Salt Lake*
NL South - Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Washington
NL East - NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati

(02-09-2024 04:48 PM)C2__ Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 08:13 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I like it but I think it would make more sense to keep the Astros in the AL and place an expansion team in each league

As fun as our time in the AL has been, I think most Astros fans yearn to get back into the NL, where most of our history is and where got extorted out of playing in by an incompetent, corrupt commissioner (why didn't the Brewers, his old team, simply go back to the AL?).

Plus that splits Texas between the leagues.

(02-13-2024 03:33 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 04:48 PM)C2__ Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 08:13 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I like it but I think it would make more sense to keep the Astros in the AL and place an expansion team in each league

As fun as our time in the AL has been, I think most Astros fans yearn to get back into the NL, where most of our history is and where got extorted out of playing in by an incompetent, corrupt commissioner (why didn't the Brewers, his old team, simply go back to the AL?).

Plus that splits Texas between the leagues.

That was my goal for the South divisions: split Texas and Florida

I ultimately decided to put the new franchises together to fabricate a rivalry. The other teams have been together for a number of years and have already-established rivals.

I saw a map yesterday ATL, TB, & MIA are only 3 teams in SE of country. The League is very Northeast/Midwest & CA focused. Charlotte & Nashville would be great adds. I can't see MLB expanding tho. Plus I'm sure most there are Braves fans.

(02-15-2024 08:36 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  I saw a map yesterday ATL, TB, & MIA are only 3 teams in SE of country. The League is very Northeast/Midwest & CA focused. Charlotte & Nashville would be great adds. I can't see MLB expanding tho. Plus I'm sure most there are Braves fans.

Huge area with only three teams. More are needed. And so what if most are Braves fans - that would change.

Both Charlotte and Nashville have a lot of population from outside the region. Nashville particularly is very split in loyalty, plus, without a MLB team, many don't follow the sport.

When Phoenix got a franchise, it was in the Dodgers territory. Putting a team here creating a whole bevy of new fans that hadn't followed baseball that closely.

(02-15-2024 08:36 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  I saw a map yesterday ATL, TB, & MIA are only 3 teams in SE of country. The League is very Northeast/Midwest & CA focused. Charlotte & Nashville would be great adds. I can't see MLB expanding tho. Plus I'm sure most there are Braves fans.

Manfred has already said the league would be expanding after the A's and Rays' stadium situations were resolved.

Dhack: I expect the exact same thing to happen if you put team in Nashville (or Charlotte for that matter)