Reds division outlook shifts after Rob Manfred MLB realignment comments

Ready or not, MLB expansion and realignment is on it's way. While still a few years away from actually being implemented, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made it clear during an appearance on WFAN in New York that massive changes are on the horizon.

Most baseball fans seem excited about the idea of adding two news team to the league. While the impending location of those new franchises will undoubtedly dictate how MLB realignment is carried out, Manfred gave fans a sneak peek of how he sees things unfolding in the future.

One thing fans won't see is two major-market teams sharing the same division. In other words, the New York Yankees won't play in the same division as the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers will not share a division with the Los Angeles Angels, and the Chicago Cubs won't be part of the same division as the Chicago White Sox. This little nugget could change how most Cincinnati Reds fans assumed MLB realignment would play out.

MLB realignment: Reds won't share a division with both the Cubs and White Sox

Manfred had spoken before about the desire to cut down on travel time and realign divisions based on a team's geographic location. As such, most Reds fans just assumed the Cubs and White Sox would be in the same division — likely as two of Cincinnati's division rivals. After all, there's no better way to cut down on travel time than by placing both Chicago-based teams in the same division, right?

But Manfred's comments would suggest that's no longer the case. With all things being equal, the White Sox now seem like a long shot to be paired with the Reds in any sort of future division, as it stands to reason that MLB would prefer to preserve as many long-term rivalries as possible. The Reds and Cubs have been in the same division since 1994.

There's no telling how MLB realignment will truly come together. If the Reds and Cubs share the same division — and they should — it's only logical that teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Tigers are in the mix to join as well.

Some clarity will come to surface once MLB decides which two cities will be home to the expansion franchises. Nashville seems like a shoo-in at the moment, and cities like Charlotte, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Raleigh are all fighting for the right to join MLB's fraternity.