Cincinnati Reds: Radical realignment would be a gigantic challenge

A recent report from USA Today suggests possible realignment for the 2020 season. The Cincinnati Reds new division would be stacked.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is reporting that Major League Baseball is considering radical realignment for the 2020 season in order to facilitate playing games amid the coronavirus pandemic. The proposed realignment would put the Cincinnati Reds into the toughest division in baseball; the Cactus League West.

The proposed realignment, according to Nightengale, is based on the premise that the 15 teams that typically spend spring training in Florida and the 15 teams that spend spring training in Arizona would form two new leagues for this season. With their spring training held annually in Goodyear, Arizona, the Reds would become part of the Cactus League according to this proposal.

Furthermore, each league would be divided into three divisions based on the geography of their home ballparks. Being in Goodyear, the proposal would put Cincinnati in the same division with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. Yikes!

If that scenario were to come true, the Cincinnati Reds could conceivably go from the best team in the National League Central to the worst team in the Cactus League West. That’s not a slight against the NL Central, but rather an acknowledgement of how good those four teams are.

The Dodgers have been prohibitive favorites to win the National League year-in and year-out for the past five seasons. Though they’ve made some trades over the offseason, the Indians are still a talented team. The only team who made more moves than the Reds this past winter was the White Sox. Oh yeah, and all-world player Mike Trout plays for the Angels.

Let’s not forget that the Angels added Anthony Rendon over the winter. They also signed Julio Tehran and Jason Castro in addition to a trade for Dylan Bundy. The Dodgers pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason when they acquired former MVP Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox. Chicago also signed former Reds farmhand Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel.

If this plan, or something similar comes to fruition, Reds fans will enter the 2020 season with a lot less confidence than they did back when spring ball began. The only saving grace for Cincinnati would be the likely implementation of a universal designated hitter. With so many players vying for a roster spot, the added bat to lineup could be a plus.