Rob Manfred's realignment comments raise big questions about Reds future rivals

During ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, MLB Commissioner paid a visit to the broadcast booth and spoke about the future of the sport. Among the topics Manfred discussed were MLB expansion and realignment.

"I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign" Manfred said. "I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel, and I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities for like ESPN."

When Major League Baseball expands to 32 teams, it will give the Commissioner's Office an opportunity to realign the divisions. MLB would likely adopt the same type of division alignment currently used by the the NFL — eight divisions of four teams. Which three teams might join the Cincinnati Reds in their new division?

Rob Manfred's MLB expansion and realignment comments raise big questions about Reds future rivals

Former general manager Jim Bowden wrote a column for The Athletic (subscription required) almost two years ago and predicted that the Reds would be part of a division alongside the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Guardians, and Detroit Tigers. That makes absolutely zero sense, and reveals yet again why Bowden is a former GM.

If Manfred and the league plan to reallocate the existing six divisions of five teams — and they should — into eight divisions of four teams, it's essential that MLB preserve some of the existing and longstanding rivalries that have existed through baseball's storied history.

Keeping longtime rivals like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the same division should be a priority. The same should hold true for the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

When you think about the Reds' rivals, three other organizations come to mind — the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. While the Milwaukee Brewers have been a thorn in the side for the Reds over the last decade, they did not join the National League until 1998.

The universal DH makes keeping the NL and AL separate unnecessary, but Manfred and his MLB executives should do their best to preserve the longstanding traditions that have made baseball what it is today.

Change is coming, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel. At the very least, MLB should keep the Reds, Cubs, and Cardinals in the same division. It's possible that a team like the Guardians, Kansas City Royals, or Chicago White Sox could make sense, but even that's a little too absurd.

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