More geographically friendly divisions could potentially be on the way in MLB.
Speaking with ESPN during Sunday's broadcast of the Little League Classic, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hinted that league expansion and divisional realignment could be on the horizon.
But before anyone can start brainstorming on what the new divisions would look like, some new teams would have to join the league as Manfred said he thinks those two topics work "hand-in-hand."
“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign," Manfred told ESPN. "I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our post-season format would be even more appealing…because you'd be playing out of the east and out of the west."
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, MLB believes the two strongest possible markets for expansion teams are Salt Lake City and Nashville.
MLB hasn't expanded since 1998 when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays joined.
But Manfred believes the time has come to grow MLB once again.
"I think the owners realize there is demand for major league baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process," Manfred said.
