MLB in discussions over 'floating realignment'

Under the concept, teams would be able to decide where they'd want to play in a given season based on geography, payroll and willingness to contend. SI.com, citing an unnamed source who is familiar with the discussions, notes that a team couldn't move into a division more than two time zones beyond its home city — say, the Rays or Orioles trying to join the NL West.
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You have GOT to be kidding me..... I thought it was the sick dream of one Tom Verducci, but I have heard this mentioned the last two night now. This is someones serious idea to make baseball more competitive??? Seriously?
To be fair, this idea is being supported by a 14 member panel of executives and managers. I for one, hope it never, ever sees the light of day.
What do the rest of you think?

about 2 years ago unnamedDBacksfan 12 comments 0 recs |

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Here's a lot more detail on it from ESPN

more details

Still not a fan of this idea.

Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Mar 10, 2010 11:14 PM EST reply actions

Interesting

but it’s hard to imagine this working in a real world scenario. It doesn’t really address the geographical gap in MLB. By this idea, the A’s (by any definition a small-market team) should temporarily move to another division to get better crowds, but then they’re limited to the AL Central (which has teams in two time zones). Even if they did move to the AL Central, would that naturally mean better attendance and financial well-being?

Lots of holes right now, that’s for sure.

All targets neutralized. Program completed. By your command.

by soco on Mar 10, 2010 11:31 PM EST reply actions

This plan would seem to ensure

Boston and NYY get in the playoffs every year. It doesn’t, imo, address competitiveness (or lack thereof ) in the game; it is making the game accommodate the current set up.
I pity the poor fans in markets with poor ownership. What is forcing them to really improve their team?
As mentioned in the ESPN article and what I heard bantered around last night, a salary floor would go a long way to helping competitiveness.
I just do not see this idea helping baseball.

Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Mar 10, 2010 11:42 PM EST up reply actions

An interesting idea

But it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. “So, when you’re crappy, you go play teams that are awesome and will beat the crap out of you. But when you’re half-way decent, you go play some other half-way decent teams and hope.” Why would it work that way? Wouldn’t we see teams wanting to move to divisions so that they would have weaker competition? Why not have the Red Sox just move to the NL East so they could beat up on the Natinals, Marlins, and Mets, and then ESPN could have a massive orgasm over the thought of a Red Sox-Yankees World Series?

And the whole two time zones thing? So, the Rockies could join the NL East if they wanted, but the Padres couldn’t? Could the Diamondbacks? I mean, we’re in the Mountain Time Zone, but we don’t have Daylight Savings Time…

Plus I guess we could just wave rivalries so long if teams are moving around all the time.

"Now we can just call you Kishi Laptop, Esquire."

by kishi on Mar 10, 2010 11:51 PM EST reply actions

and building those rivalries

was why they went to this un-balanced schedule, no? The old Familiarity breed contempt.

Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Mar 10, 2010 11:58 PM EST up reply actions

Madness

As you said, It does nothing to address the actual problem – that two teams outspend everyone else – but instead suggests franchises could simply bail out of trying to compete.

At its logical conclusion, the AL East would consist of the Yankees and Red Sox, playing each other 162 times a year, while eight or nine teams fight for one playoff spot in the miserly AL Central. Anyone (not employed by ESPN) think this is a good idea?

"We defy augury" -- Hamlet

by Jim McLennan on Mar 11, 2010 12:02 AM EST reply actions

I want to

smash my fist into the face of the guy who invented this nonsense.

Steam Rollin' Cub's fans like an 18 wheeler with a drunk driver driving. There's no survivin'.

by edbigghead on Mar 13, 2010 12:29 PM EST up reply actions

The more I think about this idea

The more I realize my stance on it was stated perfectly on Laugh-In, decades ago. “Very interesting. But stupid.”

"Now we can just call you Kishi Laptop, Esquire."

by kishi on Mar 13, 2010 1:39 PM EST reply actions

So all of a sudden

the Cubs would be in the NL West with the Angels and Dodgers while the DBacks would be in the AL West with the Giants and the Mariners? Bleh.

I've never heard of a famous Phoenix hot dog.

-Some crazy Cubs fan

by Reynolds rapper on Mar 14, 2010 7:32 AM EDT reply actions

Wtf??

I keep trying to reset my password to "penis", but it keeps telling me "too short".

by DbacksSkins on Mar 17, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

The Angels would want to

be in the Dodgers’ division and the Cubs would want a guaranteed ticket to the playoffs so they’d all choose the West.

I've never heard of a famous Phoenix hot dog.

-Some crazy Cubs fan

by Reynolds rapper on Mar 20, 2010 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions

There was some more

mentioned in a Yahoo article today. Someone was talking to Selig at a game recently (GOAL!!!! Tied up desert dogs), sorry was multitasking….. and he was talking some more about realignment. Most of the chatter was off the cuff type of stuff, so I didn’t include a link here. He hinted that he could consider the floating idea…. big mistake for the sport, imo.

Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Mar 20, 2010 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions