Yankees fans would love this realignment proposal that preserves baseball's tradition

What a week it's been. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred dropped by Sunday Night Baseball, dropped comments about realignment, and everyone went nuts — particularly New York Yankees fans, who could've had their lives upended should one of the worst proposals come to fruition.

While it might be an unpopular decision, realignment has taken place a lot throughout baseball history, so it's not like this is a brand new concept to upend everythint that is holy about the sport. Then again, the league must tread lightly.

When professional baseball was born in 1876, there was a single league — the National League — with six teams. Then came the American Association, which lasted from 1882 to 1892. In 1884, a third league, the Union Association, was born, only to be disbanded a year later.

In 1890, the players formed a league, aptly named the Players' League, as part of a dispute over salaries with the team owners (sound familiar?), but that only lasted for one season too. It wasn't until 1901 that the American League joined the senior circuit, and baseball's roots were firmly entrenched. 

For 68 years, the teams with the best record in each league faced off against each other in the World Series. There was no wild card, no division series, no league championship series — just the best two teams in the league going toe-to-toe after a long season. In 1969, MLB expanded, adding four teams and splitting each league into two divisions — the East and the West. Thus, the League Championship Series was born, and that's how it stayed until 1994, when the league added a third division (the Central) and expanded the playoffs to four teams in each league — a wild card team (division runner-up with the best record) and a new round, the Division Series. MLB expanded the playoffs again in 2012, adding a second wild card team, and then a third wild card team in 2022. 

Now owners want to expand the league again, and many are hoping that they don't use it as an excuse to expand the playoffs further. With six teams in each league, they've already diluted the importance of the regular season far enough. In 2025, almost every team with a .500 record or better projects to make the playoffs, and since the inception of the Wild Card round in 1995, only the 1995, 1999, 2013, 2020, and 2024 World Series were between the two teams with the best record in their league. 

A baseball season is 162 games long — a sufficient sample to determine which team is the best. The World Series aims to pit the best two teams against each other, and it's failing in its mission to do so. What's the point of having the longest season in professional sports if the World Series champion is always going to be the team that gets hot at the right time? 

Maybe the Yankees wouldn't disappear for long stretches every summer if they didn't need to have something in the tank to win a bunch of short do-or-die series in October. We've seen it too much in recent seasons: the Yanks come out of the gate gangbusters, then take their foot off the gas, but still end up in the playoffs. It's hard to stay motivated when winning 120 games is essentially meaningless. You get a first-round bye, but so does the team with the second-best record in the league. MLB's playoffs are a contradiction. The season is a marathon, and the playoffs are a sprint. So what's the fix?

It's not what Jim Bowden proposed: four, four-team divisions for each league, grouped by geographic proximity, tearing apart a century of tradition. Not only did he put the Yankees in a nightmare division full of financial heavyweights, he also league swapped the Reds, who have been a member of the National League since 1890, and the Pirates who have been a part of the National League since 1887. His plan also destroys inter-league city rivalries by putting the New York, LA, and Chicago teams all in the same divisions. 

His mid-Atlantic division, which has the Orioles, Pirates, Nationals, and expansion Charlotte, would be the least competitive in baseball history. The Baltimore Orioles, who are well below .500, would be in first place and play a home game. So would the 61-66 Tampa Bay Rays (who would be leading the Southeast Division), they would host the 74-54 Toronto Blue Jays and the 69-57 Yankees. 

MLB needs to embrace its roots. Instead of four divisions, return to two divisions. No need for lots of league swaps or other radical changes, add one team to each league and balance the schedule. Reduce the number of games teams play against their division rivals from 13 to 10 (70 games). They'd play seven times against the other division (56 games). Two inter-league games per team (30 games), except for their geographic rival, whom they'd play six times.

Secondly, MLB needs to revive doubleheaders. They are a unique and exciting part of the game dating back to the 1800s. One doubleheader every other Sunday would save the league calendar 13 days, which could allow players to participate in the Olympics or another international event. But more importantly, the extra time would fix the playoffs. 

Under this proposal, six teams from each league make the playoffs: two division winners and four wild cards. The four wild cards face off in a winner-take-all playoff game. The two winners play a best-of-five series for the right to face one of the two division winners in a best-of-seven series. The winner of that faces the team with the best record in the league in a best-of-seven series. Then the World Series. Now the teams are adequately rewarded for their excellent regular seasons. 

Winner Take All Round

4th seed vs. 5th seed

3rd seed vs. 6th seed

Wild Card Round (best of five)

Winners of (4th vs. 5th) vs Winners of (3rd vs. 6th)

Division Round (best of seven)

2nd seed vs. winner of Wild Card Round

Championship Round (best of seven) 

1st seed vs. winner of Division round 

Proposed Divisions

Swapping the Brewers to the AL has historical precedent. The Brewers played in the AL from 1970 to 1997. The Angels are a fitting exchange since they are the only California team left in the American League now that the A's are moving to Vegas. 

American League East

Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles
Rays
Tigers
White Sox
Guardians

American League West

Twins
Royals
A's
Mariners
Rangers
Astros
Brewers
Expansion Team

National League East

Mets
Braves
Marlins
Phillies
Nationals
Reds
Pirates
Expansion Team

National League West

Cardinals
Angels
Dodgers
Cubs
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Giants
Padres

What do we think, Yankees fans?