Astros Could Have Two Paths to New Division in Projected MLB Realignment

Two writers with one well-respected publication took their shots at what a new geographic realignment might look like for Major League Baseball.

First, recent comments by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred prompted a resurfacing of a 32-team realignment created by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) a couple of years ago. His realignment was not based on keeping the American League or the National League intact. In fact, he changed the leagues to the eastern conference and the western conference.

He crafted a four-team division that included two teams each from the state of Texas and Missouri — the Astros, the Rangers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. The Rangers and Royals were long-time rivals in the 1970s and 1980s. Bowden called the new division the Southwest Division.

His The Athletic (subscription required) colleague, Stephen J. Nesbitt, opted to try and keep the AL and the NL together as much as possible. But the further one goes west, the harder that is to make happen. So, Nesbitt had to make some compromises. He created a whole new division — the AL South — with the Astros, the Rangers, the Royals and the Colorado Rockies.

Astros Divisions Through the Years

The Astros joined MLB pre-divisions in 1962 and were placed in the National League. When MLB expanded and went to two divisions in each league in 1969, the Astros were moved to the West Division, which featured the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. In 1993, the division swelled to seven teams with the addition of the expansion Colorado Rockies.

In 1994, MLB moved to three divisions per league and the Astros were moved out of the West and into the NL Central, along with the Reds and Cardinals. The Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates moved in from the East Division. In 1998, as part of expansion and realignment, the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the American League Central to the NL Central, pushing the division to six teams before the Astros moved to the AL in 2013.

What Rob Manfred Said on Realignment

Manfred told ESPN on Sunday during MLB’s Little League World Series game that he would like to visit geographic realignment as part of MLB’s effort to expand. He hopes to pursue both before the end of his tenure as commissioner in 2029. By expanding to 32 teams, it would bring two new games but also unbalance current divisions.

He sees it as a chance to address some of the significant geographic inequities that still exist in the game. He highlighted player travel as a chief concern.

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