MLB Expansion and Realignment Might Make Sense, But Another Issue Comes First

Before the league adds teams and rearranges its divisions, it must reach a new deal with the players’ union, the commissioner said.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is interviewed during the 2027 Chicago All-Star Game Announcement before a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Aug. 1, 2025. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

It’s been nearly three decades since Major League Baseball expanded, with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks joining the league in the 1998 season. Since then, the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League have each added new franchises, with the NHL leading the way by adding six teams. Many are wondering if and when MLB will add franchises to the 30 existing ones.

Commissioner Rob Manfred was asked about expansion during a Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the Little League Classic between the Mets and Mariners. Manfred didn’t give a timetable or float possible markets, instead shifting the conversation to 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. I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you'd be playing out of the east, out of the west, in that 10 o’clock timeslot where you sometimes get Boston-Anaheim.

“It would be two West Coast teams in that 10 o’clock timeslot that’s a problem for us sometimes. It becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”

But speculating on geographical realignment is difficult without knowing where the new markets would be. Theoretically, it would make the most sense for MLB to add two new teams to reach 32 in total, then split those 32 into eight divisions as the NFL does.

That could allow those geographical outliers in some divisions a chance to be in divisions with teams closer to them. For example, the AL East consists of four teams generally close to one another—the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Orioles—and then the Rays, who are 900 miles away from the closest of those four.

Likewise, the AL West has three West Coast teams—the Mariners, Athletics, and Angels—who all reside in the Pacific Time Zone, and a pair of Texas teams—Rangers, Astros—who are two time zones away in the Central.

Manfred didn’t say what locations are under consideration for potential expansion but did say the demand is high.

“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 added.

The last MLB realignment came in the 2013 season when the Houston Astros were moved from the NL Central to the AL West. That put 15 teams in each league, with six five-team divisions.

Several cities across the United States and Canada have been brought up as potential markets for new franchises, including Nashville; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Montreal. Additionally, Sacramento’s mayor has stated that the Athletics’ temporary move to his city from 2025 to 2027 should serve as an audition for California’s capital to land a full-time franchise.

While the NBA commissioner has said expansion will be discussed “this season,” it appears that adding new teams isn’t on MLB’s immediate horizon because of other priorities. The current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire after the 2026 season, and there is speculation that the owners will lock out the players when it does.

MLB doesn’t have a salary cap like other major pro sports leagues, but that’s something Manfred has been pushing for. However, the players and the Player’s Association have pushed back, with Bryce Harper allegedly cursing Manfred out during a meeting in which he brought up a possible salary cap.

Presumably, Manfred, the owners, and the MLBPA all want to get their ducks in a row regarding the CBA before they make expansion a priority.

Manfred has gone on record saying the next MLB teams won’t enter the league until after his term as commissioner comes to an end in January 2029. He first said that prior to the 2024 MLB season and reaffirmed it during the All-Star break last month.

“I would like to, at least, have gone through the process and identified cities. They won’t be on the field by the time I’m done. I’ve said and I’ve remained committed to that,” Manfred told CNBC in July.

He added that the current situation of the Athletics playing in a temporary city and the Rays playing at a temporary ballpark has shifted his focus to the current MLB franchises instead of future ones. Manfred also said that the expansion fee for the new team, or teams, “will be a number that begins with a B [billions].”