The Texas Rangers may have buried the sting of their heartbreaking 2011 World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals by clinching the title in 2023, but who wouldn’t relish the chance to settle that score repeatedly in regular-season play? Thanks to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s latest comments, that scenario could soon become reality.
Appearing on Sunday Night Baseball, Manfred discussed ongoing negotiations for a new TV deal, but what really caught attention were his remarks on expansion and a possible geographic realignment of Major League Baseball. If implemented, this restructuring could dramatically change the makeup of divisions—and potentially reintroduce old postseason foes as regular-season rivals.
A Cardinals-Rangers Division Showdown?
Manfred suggested that expanding the league would open the door to more logical regional groupings, cutting down travel and potentially making the postseason more attractive to broadcasters like ESPN.
“In my view, expansion gives us the chance to realign teams geographically,” Manfred said. “It would reduce travel fatigue for players and make the playoff structure more exciting for our media partners.”
A concept recently revisited by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden outlines what such a shift might look like. In his projection, the Rangers would move into a newly created Southwest Division alongside the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and their former World Series opponent—the St. Louis Cardinals.
Expansion to 32 Teams on the Horizon
Bowden’s proposal also includes two new franchises: one in Nashville, Tennessee, and the other in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both cities have been consistent front-runners in expansion discussions and could bump MLB up to 32 total teams for the first time.
The last league expansion occurred back in 1998 with the arrival of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the (then) Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Manfred has publicly stated his goal of launching another round of expansion before his term ends in 2029.
