MLB commissioner brought up realignment. Here’s how it could look for the Royals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MLB expansion to 32 teams could trigger geographic realignment and less travel.
- Potential divisions may pair Royals with teams like Cardinals, Cubs or White Sox.
- Realignment may boost broadcast appeal by aligning time zones for key matchups.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Sunday night joined ESPN’s broadcast of the Little League Classic and was asked to look into his crystal ball.
Could Manfred share anything about future expansion and/or realignment?
“I think the first two topics are related in my mind. I think if we expand it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred said. “I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel.
“And 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.”
Nashville and Salt Lake City have been mentioned as potential expansion candidates, and adding those two cities would give the league 32 teams. That would eliminate the need for daily interleague games, as each league would have 16 teams.
The realignment could create four eight-team divisions or eight four-team divisions.
What could that mean for the Royals? MLB would be prioritizing less travel for each team, as Manfred indicated, so geography would play a big part in the divisional thinking. A few ideas for realignment have been floated.
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa proffered a division with the Royals, Cardinals, Rockies and an expansion city like Nashville.
A year ago, ESPN looked at four eight-team divisions. Bradford Doolittle had the Royals in a division with the Astros, Brewers, Cardinals, Twins, White Sox, Cubs and Rangers.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden had the Royals with the Astros, Cardinals and Rangers in his proposed realignment.
Michael Bier of Foul Territory TV also pondered a division with the Royals, Rangers, Astros and Cardinals.
My proposal would be having the Royals in a division with the Cardinals, Cubs and White Sox. The Chicago teams are much closer than Houston and it would keep one longtime division rival, in the White Sox.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 10:57 AM.
