Seemingly every year in baseball, fans are presented with a shiny, new toy.
In years past, that has been things like the updated replay and challenge system. Most recently, we’ve seen rule changes such as increasing the size of the bases, altering pitcher disengagement rules and adding the pitch clock.
Last weekend, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred offered baseball fans another shiny, new toy to play with when he discussed the league’s position on expansion and realignment.
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said on Sunday Night Baseball. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel.
“I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you'd be playing out of the East, out of the West, and that 10 o'clock, where we sometimes get Boston-Anaheim, would be two West Coast teams. That 10 o'clock slot that's a problem for us sometimes becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience."
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Realignment and expansion are coming to MLB in the future. That was pretty clear even before Manfred’s latest comments. Nashville has been the most aggressive city in pursuing expansion, and the group there has enhanced their efforts for a team in recent years. Other cities, including Salt Lake City and Portland, have also begun making moves.
The problem with this week’s talk about realignment and expansion is not that it’s unfounded. It’s that this is a conversation that, while important, won’t become reality for some time. It could take as long as a decade to organize official ownership groups, get expansion fees approved by MLB owners, design and build ballparks, conduct expansion drafts and complete all the other steps required to add an MLB team.
For now, all of that is a far-away matter. Here today, our sport has much a larger issue to sort out in the immediate future, one that feels nowhere close to resolution. That is the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association set to expire in December 2026.
Since the ratification of the previous CBA in March 2022, the feeling from both players and owners has been dissatisfaction with the latest deal. That sentiment — combined with a growing push from owners to add a salary cap, which the MLBPA firming opposes — makes a work stoppage in 2027 feel like a near certainty. Given the contentious dynamic between the two sides, another lockout after next season is already being treated like a foregone conclusion.
In other words, there’s a very real chance that we will lose baseball games in 2027. Regardless of other league-related matters, that’s where our collective focus needs to be.
During his time as commissioner, Manfred has been known to discuss certain ideas in public forums, almost as a way for the league to soft launch a proposal and gauge the reaction before deciding how to proceed. This happened with the automated ball-strike challenge system, which, after years of discussion, will be fully integrated next season. Or remember the “golden at-bat”? That was floated by Manfred but did not gain steam, and he quickly retracted the idea.
This latest talk of expansion and realignment feels very similar. And whether or not that’s intentional, shifting our attention away from the expiring CBA to talk about something that won’t impact baseball for years is a distraction we can’t afford.
What is in the best interest of baseball? That’s often the question we hear when different topics and future proposals are discussed, whether it be a salary cap, media rights, competitive balance or the relationship between players and owners. Well, right now, the No. 1 thing that is in the best interest of baseball is avoiding a lockout in 2027. The commissioner, the player’s association and the fans need to keep that at the forefront.
One of the reasons that’s so important is because baseball has gotten itself into a great place in recent years. Viewership on national broadcasts has increased, and fans are showing up at the ballpark at rates not seen in years. The game's biggest superstar is an international unicorn, helping baseball’s global growth. New young stars are emerging every year, major markets are thriving, and small-market teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers are showing they can not only compete but also excel. All these things are great for baseball.
Having all of this positive momentum and growth ruined by a lockout in 2027 would be extremely detrimental to baseball’s present and future. No matter what shiny, new toy is offered next, we need to keep our attention on that.
Comments