The Seattle Mariners and New York Mets played in Williamsport during the Little League Classic, with the Mets winning 7-3. Commissioner Rob Manfred attended and described potential geographic realignment to reduce player travel and make postseason formats more appealing to broadcasters. Manfred suggested scheduling games by time zone, so Eastern teams play earlier local times and West Coast teams play later slots for post-work viewers. Expansion discussions include adding two teams soon, with Portland, Charlotte, and Nashville mentioned as candidates. A 32-team league could split into Eastern and Western leagues with smaller groupings, resembling an NBA-style alignment.
Commissioner Rob Manfred was in attendance for the game. Going live on the game's broadcast, Manfred revealed some interesting nuggets of information. One in particular involved expansion and possible realignment from a geographical standpoint. "I think this provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign," Manfred said on the broadcast. "I think we can 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."
Manfred went on to speak about the possibility where game times would connect to where teams were located. For instance, a 7 p.m. ET contest would feature two teams from the Eastern Time Zone. Additionally, for games that start at 10 p.m. ET, teams in this range would hail from the West Coast where that region would be able to enjoy games in a post-work setting.
Now, there's also talk of expansion. Two teams could be added sooner than later - with the likes of Portland, Charlotte, and Nashville being rumored locations. More news: Dodgers Minor League Pitcher With Team in Colorado Hinting at Roster Move If the league were to get to 32 teams, could there be a situation where we'd see an Eastern and Western league, with two eight-team groups in each? It essentially would mimic the NBA model in a sense.
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