Rumors: MLB considering league realignment for 2020 season

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the MLB is considering a major realignment for the 2020 season. The following information is from him and Tony La Russa, Angels senior advisor of baseball operations.

The realignment plan would include teams playing all of their games in either Florida or Arizona, dependent on where clubs have their spring facility. Games will be played at the spring facilities, with Tropicana Field and Marlins Park available in Florida and Chase Field available in Arizona.

The divisions would go as followed:

Grapefruit League

North (Tampa area)- Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays, Tigers, Pirates

South (Fort Myers/ Port Charlotte area)- Red Sox, Twins, Braves, Rays, Orioles

East (West Palm/ Port St. Lucie area)- Nationals, Astros, Mets, Cardinals, Marlins

Cactus League

Northeast (Scottsdale area)- Cubs, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Athletics

West (Glendale/ Western Phoenix area)- Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, Reds, Indians

Northwest (Glendale/Peoria area)- Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Rangers, Royals

Teams would play a 108 game season. They would play 12 games against each divisional opponent and six against non-divisional in-state opponents. Teams would not play a team in the other league until the World Series.

The DH will likely be adapted universally, and there will also have to be one doubleheader per night in each state when all teams are playing. That’s because of the odd number of teams in each state.

The postseason could either be similar to previous years, or completely different. The league has toyed with the idea of all teams advancing to the postseason this year only. Regardless, the World Series would be played in the domed stadiums in late-November.

Again, this is not official. The league is still in constant contact with health officials and hoping that teams can return to major league cities at some point this year. The entire COVID-19 situation is still fluid and changing daily. Once more info about the pandemic and the length of it, the league can come closer to making a set decision.