The start of each baseball season always brings the allure of optimism and great promise, as teams make offseason acquisitions for better short term or long term prospects. These offseason moves can change the outlook of a team, where a few a big signings can shift the balance of power in a division (speculated: Angels, Blue Jays, among other teams) However, the biggest offseason move did not come through free agency or trade, but rather by a league and division realignment.
Perhaps this is the single largest change in the outlook of the league this year. The Houston Astros went from the NL Central to the AL West, which is considered one of the toughest divisions in baseball, with the much improved Angels, the prominent Rangers, and the Athletics, who were unexpectedly superb last season. This is bleak news for the struggling Houston Astros, who are coming off an abysmal year, where they went 55-107. However, this does not only affect the Astros and the AL West, it will have implications on the whole league.
This move has opened the door for increased interleague play at arbitrary times of the season. For example, the Phillies will have their home opener against the American League Royals, while the Mets will take on the Cleveland Indians the second to last week of the season. While the move is invigorating, it is also questionable. Do we really want our favorite teams to play more teams in a different league, when a team is accustomed to playing a certain style (with or without a DH)? Moreover, it would be harder to gain ground on a team in the wild card race, or division race if teams are playing opponents from opposing leagues, late in the season, during crucial games. In addition, the beloved inter-city rivalries that have been cherished throughout New York and Chicago have diminished in series size (in the past, there were two series, which amounted to six games total for the season). This is a result of the new schedule, as the New York and Chicago rivalries have been reduced to one series, of four games, which include two home games each.
It is a bold move for Major League Baseball, but one that might pay off. The model of interleague play has been seen in various other sports such as football, basketball, soccer, hockey, among other popular sports. Many fans support this idea because it presents potential championship previews, in addition to promoting matchups with a different dynamic. Perhaps the best example of this is found in the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, where the NFL was considered the far superior league, until the meager Jets defeated the juggernaut Colts in 1969, thus proving the AFL was a formidable league. If it was not for the conception of the NFL playing the AFL in 1967, the biggest spectacle in all of sports would have never come to fruition.
The NBA and NHL use this design too, as they have created intriguing East coast, West coast matchups that fans are eager to see. Bud Selig (the commissioner of Major League Baseball) has been a strong proponent of implementing reform and adding different formats to the league. Last year was a groundbreaking year for baseball due to the new playoff structure. Instead of the typical eight teams getting into the playoffs, it became an increased 10. This new mold allowed for a competitive one-game playoff, where the winner would advance to the next round to face a team that won their division, while the loser would go home until next year. This model has a somewhat auspicious outlook, but the problem with this system is that anything can happen in one game with a team’s best pitcher on the mound. For this reason, Major League Baseball should expand the wild card round into a best two out of three series, so teams do not play all year just to see all they have worked for vanish.
One interesting proposal to “improve” the league was the idea that the winner of the MLB World Series, would take on the winner of the Japanese league World Series, essentially integrating other leagues, to see who really deserves the title of “World Champion”. This would be interesting to see, as it would likely have a format similar to the Little League World Series, where the United States takes on other nations. This idea where other nations take on other nations has already been implemented, as the World Baseball Classic puts some of the best professional baseball players to compete.
Evan Smith is a third year student majoring in political science with a minor in communication studies. He can be reached at es777403@wcupa.edu.