Over the weekend, MLB commissioner Ron Manfred created quite the buzz when he was asked about possible future league expansion during the Mets vs. Mariners broadcast. According to Manfred, not only does he see expansion coming, but he thinks the league would take the opportunity afforded by expansion to geographically realign MLB’s divisions. For the Atlanta Braves, that could be a massive win.
There have been a lot of half-baked division realignment proposals out there including one that The Athletic’s Jim Bowden put together a couple years ago. Getting such a realignment done in a way that is fair to everyone is very tricky, especially with teams in the midwest as there are going to be some of those teams that get grouped with less than favorable division partners.
However, the one division that seems to be crystal clear assuming MLB expands into Nashville is a southeast division where the Braves would be set up for success for a long time.
If Manfred’s division realignment happens, the Braves could be the clear victors
Look, historic rivalries do matter and make the game more engaging for fans of all ages. Would it kind of stink to stop cursing the Phillies’ existence or making fun of the Mets for doing Mets things? Of course it would. However, the very clear southeast division that would likely result from division realignment would not only make travel cheaper and super easy for the Braves and their fans, but also be the Braves’ to lose for a long time.
Most people agree that Nashville is extremely likely to get a MLB team when expansion happens and there is already a marketing push there, so that is an easy one assuming the Braves don’t balk too much at having a team so close. Then you have the two Florida teams: Miami who just refuse to put a decent product on the field and take two steps back for every one step forward and the Rays who were just sold to a new owner who could potentially clean house and mess up the good stuff Tampa has going on and who also don’t even have a future stadium deal in place.
In short, Atlanta would be in a division where they have the lion’s share of the fans in the geographic area with three other teams that are among MLB’s most recent expansion teams and who are anything but a lock to be competitive. Losing out on bashing the Phillies, Mets, and Nationals would stink, but the competitive benefits would help fans get over that in a hurry.
