MLB Would Be Better If There Were 4 AL Divisions

As crazy as it may sound, adding a 4th AL division would make MLB better – at least based on the  current format of the

Does Bud have the fortitude to consider such a bold move?

the game and the league.  In my hypothetical world, the AL would lose the Wild Card, and each division winner would earn a playoff spot.  The NL would remain the same.  This 4th Division would be a little unique – only two teams, but I believe this format would make September more exciting.  More squads would remain in contention.  More fans would come watch their teams during the dog days of summer.  And we all know that more fans and more exciting games means more money, which is what the owners care about.

The proposal?  Move the Yankees and Red Sox to the AL Really Good [Insert Name Here] Division. Since the wildcard format was adopted, either the Red Sox or Yankees have made the playoffs in every season.  On 7 occasions, both teams have made the playoffs, including 4 of the last 6, and likely this year as well.  Additionally, to complete the plan, one team from the AL Central would move to the AL East to keep the rest of the divisions equally sized.  For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll move the Indians to the AL East due to their geographical proximity.   The AL Super Division would play each other 20 or so times per season, play a normal Interleague schedule, and play all of the other AL teams 10x per season.

Let’s take a quick look at the current standings, and the hypothetical standings:

The races and playoff spots are almost decided at this point, with once again the Yankees and Red Sox occupying two of the 4 spots.  Sure this season is peculiar in its lack of competitive divisions, but the recent trend is clear – the Wildcard, in most years, is a forgone conclusion, and all other teams are playing for a division championship.

A look at the hypothetical divisions would provide a different story, with the Red Sox essentially out of a playoff spot, but the Rays in the playoffs.  Toronto would have remained in the race until very recently, and very well may have been buyers at the trade deadline, rather than sellers.  The Indians likely would have been in contention until recently, and potentially may have not traded away 7 starters over the last few months.  The Rangers would still remain in the playoff hunt.  Take a quick look at the Blue Jays attendance figures, who were competitive well into the second half of last season.  Their average attendance is 5,000+ lower this season than last season due to having a less competitive team.  Over 81 home games, at a $25 average ticket price, that equates to an additional $10mm in ticket revenues for one team, let alone concessions, more TV viewership, and merchandise sales.  In this season, where divisional leads are abnormally large, 3 teams (21%) would be more competitive, while 1 would be hurt – the Red Sox.  This topic is covered after the standings:

The one team likely to be less than eager to adopt these changes would be the Red Sox as they would be forced to battle the Yankees and their massive resource pool head-on.  However, I am not certain they would be worse off financially.  They would have continued to sell out Fenway Park as they always do.  Annually, they remain competitive with the Evil Empire deep into September – half of the last 8 season have seen less than 6 games differentiate the two, with the Red Sox winning the division on multiple occasions.  Plus, imagine two or three September series that would determine the playoff spot.  These would essentially have the excitement of a playoff series, especially given that both teams cannot meet in the playoffs  The series to end the season would be PrimeTime worthy.  Finally, a simple revenue sharing system could be implemented where the teams that benefit from the restructuring pay the Red Sox (or the Yankees) some cash to compensate them for adopting the system would provide additional incentive to the Red Sox and Yankees.

Some may claim this solution is an unneeded solution to a short term problem.  However, since the Wild Card was added, one of them has made the playoffs every season, and if the Red Sox hold on this year, in 5 of the last 7 both have made it.  They clearly have more resources that everybody else, and have learned how to use those resources on both Free Agents and young talent to build teams that compete year in and year out.  Creating the Super Division would add more intrigue to their matchups, while allowing more teams to compete, increasing overall attendance, and creating a better overall product and increasing revenues.  Its a hair-brained scheme, yes, but one that has merit, and is at least worth consideration in improving MLB.

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