MLB Expansion: A Necessary Step

The MLB should expand to 32 teams.

This will make divisions even (four divisions of four in each league or two divisions of eight). The benefit of an even 32-team league is that when you have Interleague play, you don’t have to worry about having one NL-only series as the rest of the AL and NL face off.

Currently in the AL, 14 teams fight for four spots, while 16 NL teams fight for the exact same four spots on the other side of the playoff picture. Is that right?

Who should be considered for the two expansion spots?

Puerto Rico and New Orleans.

I say Puerto Rico because of the successful games played there by the Expos before they became the Washington Nationals.

New Orleans is a good choice because the city needs a jumpstart for its post-Katrina economy.

Some other suggestions for expansion cities are San Antonio, Portland, Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Nashville.

For the playoffs, leave it at four teams per league. Eight total.

In baseball, every regular season game has meaning. It forces MLB managers to manage accordingly.

If a team is fighting for the last playoff spot, it will play their star players every at-bat, every inning, in order to secure a playoff berth. If there were more playoff spots open, teams can coast in.

In the NBA, NHL and NFL there can be playoff teams which have a winning percentage equal to or less than .500.

MLB playoff teams must have records much better than .500. MLB playoff teams are the elite, not the average.