3 Reasons Why Expanded Divisions Are Ideal for the Twins

[Nash Walker]

MLB is frantically looking for ways to start the 2020 season. As states begin to re-open and the curves flatten, their latest proposal feels realistic, viable, and quite fun.There are hopes and there are realities. The reality is that there likely won’t be any fans in attendance for a good while. That much is known. Our hope as baseball fans is that the coronavirus won’t wipe out the 2020 season altogether. We need hope. It’s time to get our hopes up. Why? Because we love this game and we love this team.

 

 

The criticized (and for good reason) Arizona plan is sliding away. The cream has risen to the top: MLB wants to play in their own ballparks. While ambitious, by limiting travel as much as possible, this idea is more than just another “good try.” So how would they re-arrange the league to tailor this? Three divisions, 10 teams per division, all based on geography. The AL Central demands much less travel than other divisions, and in this scenario, the NL Central (plus the Atlanta Braves) would join the Twins in a highly competitive and compelling division. Here are three reasons why you should love this plan as a Twins fan.

 

 

1. Baseball is back, baby.

 

These last few months of destruction from the virus will never be erased or forgotten. Baseball won’t save lives, nor will it bring back those we have tragically lost. It can, however, help us heal with the game we love. I miss baseball every day. Waking up on a summer day and knowing the Twins are playing that night is a feeling I will further appreciate for the rest of my life.

 

We will also get to watch Mike Trout.

 

2. The Twins’ “little brother” narrative will eradicate

 

101 wins and a division title helped the Twins force themselves back into the category of “playoff contenders,” but the fact remains: the AL Central is weak. To be the best, you have to beat the best. The Twins went 32-37 against winning teams last year. We know the Twins are great, but a losing record against good teams and an embarrassing playoff sweep didn’t help their perception.

 

Now imagine winning a division over the defending NL Central and 11-time World Series champion St.Louis Cardinals. Okay, impressive. Now add in the defeat of Freddie Freeman’s Atlanta Braves, the NL East champions. How about defeating the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs, who still field perhaps the best trio in baseball in Kris Bryant, Javier Báez, and Anthony Rizzo?

 

Oh, and the Cleveland Indians, whom the Twins stole the AL Central crown from after three years of dominance, would remain a rival in this outline. They still remain contenders with two MVP candidates in Francisco Lindor and José Ramírez and the terrifying duo of Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber in their rotation.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals, the Braves, and the Twins represent the division with the most playoff teams from 2019. The Cubs and Indians were eliminated in the last two weeks of September. This division is loaded with winners.

 

Beating the “revamped” White Sox would be fun too. Yuck.

 

3. The 2020 Twins are special

 

The 2019 Twins proved to us that they can win. More than that, they proved to us that they are a well oiled machine with depth that can hang with anyone. The Twins’ longest losing streak in 2019 was four games. They set the all-time home run record. Nelson Cruz posted the second highest OPS in the American League (1.031) behind only Trout.

 

Josh Donaldson, a borderline Hall of Famer, is their new third baseman. Rich Hill might be healthy come July. The breathtaking athleticism that is Byron Buxton will be poised for more. That’s just scratching the surface of the talent on this roster. This team can play, and they’ll be ready to win on opening day.

 

I must admit, this would be wacky. No fans and outlandish divisions in a shortened season is far from ideal. I understand that sentiment. I also understand that if we want baseball back, we have to embrace it wholeheartedly. It’s time to buy back in. The Twins will be back this summer. Will you be ready to ride with them on an unprecedented and unfamiliar journey? I know I’ll be.

 

 

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[theBOMisthebomb]

Tough division for our Twins. Who cares, right? I will keep praying for baseball, not sweat the details, and hope for the best.

[Squirrel]

Why would Atlanta be in the Central and not Pittsburgh? If they do this, that’s dumb, imo. If they are going to combine the two league’s divisions then Pittsburgh should stay in the Central and Atlanta in the East.

[TopGunn#22]

Yeah...Atlanta is a LITTLE farther EAST than Pittsburgh...

[Nash Walker]

Why would Atlanta be in the Central and not Pittsburgh? If they do this, that’s dumb, imo. If they are going to combine the two league’s divisions then Pittsburgh should stay in the Central and Atlanta in the East.

 

In principal, the Pirates should remain in the central. This construction is tailoring mostly to travel required. I hear you though.

[Darius]

Yeah, the Atlanta thing kind of defeats the purpose of limiting travel it seems.

 

It seems to me that it’s an attempt to rig things slightly to benefit the East. They don’t want to set it up in a way that could would guarantee the exclusion of one of the Yankees, Nationals, Red Sox, Phillies, or Braves from the playoffs.

 

If that’s the case....why not keep the same format and limit games to be within AL/NL East, etc.? That would be much less travel.

 

This is just gerrymandering to maximize the odds of the leagues preferred playoff matchups. It has almost nothing to do with minimizing “travel.” If that were the case, you wouldn’t have teams from Texas going to the state of Washington - well over 2,000 miles. Atlanta to Toronto is less than 1,000. Atlanta to NY less than 900. It’s a much shorter distance from Texas to NY, for example, than to Seattle.

 

If you want to minimize travel, make 4 divisions.

 

Part of me just wants to hate this because I hate Manfred. The other part of me hates it because it doesn’t make sense, unless purely from a way to drum up excitement/playoff matchups.

[USNMCPO]

 

Yeah, the Atlanta thing kind of defeats the purpose of limiting travel it seems.

It seems to me that it’s an attempt to rig things slightly to benefit the East. They don’t want to set it up in a way that could would guarantee the exclusion of one of the Yankees, Nationals, Red Sox, Phillies, or Braves from the playoffs.

If that’s the case....why not keep the same format and limit games to be within AL/NL East, etc.? That would be much less travel.

This is just gerrymandering to maximize the odds of the leagues preferred playoff matchups. It has almost nothing to do with minimizing “travel.” If that were the case, you wouldn’t have teams from Texas going to the state of Washington - well over 2,000 miles. Atlanta to Toronto is less than 1,000. Atlanta to NY less than 900. It’s a much shorter distance from Texas to NY, for example, than to Seattle.

If you want to minimize travel, make 4 divisions.

Part of me just wants to hate this because I hate Manfred. The other part of me hates it because it doesn’t make sense, unless purely from a way to drum up excitement/playoff matchups.

What???! MLB putting the proverbial thumb on the scale to help their preferred teams? Unpossible!!! 

[rdehring]

Great article, especially the part about hoping baseball will be back in a month or so for early summer training.

 

Agree with those above that Atlanta should be in the East and Pittsburgh in the Central. Biggest question to me is what they are going to do with rosters if there is no minor league play. Expect each team will carry their entire 40-man roster with 26 dressing for each game or series or whatever. Don't know how the other 15 will see enough action to keep them sharp and continue their development. Maybe the 15 not on the active roster for each series will play a game or two against the 15 not active players from the team they are playing. Start it at 10 in the morning and it is over hours before the scheduled game starts that evening.  One problem is this would require another 15 players traveling to away games and the cost associated with that.  But replacements for injuries and poor performance are going to have to come from somewhere.

[Doctor Gast]

Yes, Toronto makes more sense than Atlanta. Of coarse a bad option is better than no baseball but this last option is more political. Areas like NYC which didn`t take  the virus serious & the cases exploded which IMO was a big factor in shutting down baseball. These areas will take longer to be ready for MLB, they want to delay baseball for the whole country until they are able to have home games. This plan also draws out the season that MN will have to unfairly play their last games in  neutral stadiums taking away home field advantage, so why do more responsible areas like MN be penalized? I think the AZ plan was to appease those who didn`t want any baseball. I still believe it`s still a viable plan to start earlier & finish earlier (to be sure the season would be complete if something flares up when the weather become colder). As some areas would be ready before the July 2 due date so as not over strain AZ. So I hope the AZ plan isn`t totally scraped. AZ plan could be a temporary plan until the teams are liberated by their states 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Why would Atlanta be in the Central and not Pittsburgh? If they do this, that’s dumb, imo. If they are going to combine the two league’s divisions then Pittsburgh should stay in the Central and Atlanta in the East.

 

I suppose they'd never get it done right.. might be one of those competitive balance things to keep it interesting??? I don't know. 

 

My only hope is that this is just a 2020 thing.

[Squirrel]

 

I suppose they'd never get it done right.. might be one of those competitive balance things to keep it interesting??? I don't know. 

 

My only hope is that this is just a 2020 thing.

Oh, for sure, then they should say that, imo. And yes, I hope this is only a 2020 thing, but since they've talked about realignment in the recent past, they could be using 2020 as a way to ... shuffle it ... as they've talked about doing. I hate subterfuge! And has the question even been answered about the DH? I suppose home field calls it, but if this is the wave of the future hitting us now, that question is going to need to be answered sooner rather than later.

 

But I'm still going to try and figure out the mileage for each division to see if it was truly done 'fairly'. I'm sure someone actually did do this, but I want to see for myself. What else have I got to do? No work now until September. But the way it just appears now, the East looks to have the easiest travel, and no way around that really, considering the cluster of teams in that area ... Philly, NY, Boston, DC. Still ... Pittsburgh will still be team to have to travel the most in either division, Atlanta a lot more in the central than the east, the rest of the central more to get to Atlanta, which is further (farther?) away than Pittsburgh to most of them, and if the East has to go to Florida anyway, it's should be easy enough to schedule teams to make that loop mostly at once, like they do when we travel to the west coast in a regular season. 

[Twodogs]

Great article, especially the part about hoping baseball will be back in a month or so for early summer training.

 

Agree with those above that Atlanta should be in the East and Pittsburgh in the Central. Biggest question to me is what they are going to do with rosters if there is no minor league play. Expect each team will carry their entire 40-man roster with 26 dressing for each game or series or whatever. Don't know how the other 15 will see enough action to keep them sharp and continue their development. Maybe the 15 not on the active roster for each series will play a game or two against the 15 not active players from the team they are playing. Start it at 10 in the morning and it is over hours before the scheduled game starts that evening. One problem is this would require another 15 players traveling to away games and the cost associated with that. But replacements for injuries and poor performance are going to have to come from somewhere.

.

 

Those extra players wouldn't need to travel with the team. They could all stay back and keep playing practice games, etc... Only the guys who need to play would travel. If someone got hurt you could fly one replacement dude in if the road trip is a long one.

 

 

Oh, I just re-read it and I see that you were thinking our 15 extra could play against the other teams 15. I was thinking the Twins could have their 40 man, plus another 15 guys that way they can stay back and just play scrimmage games against themselves. They they wouldn't need to travel with so many players.

[Twodogs]

Yes, Toronto makes more sense than Atlanta. Of coarse a bad option is better than no baseball but this last option is more political. Areas like NYC which didn`t take the virus serious & the cases exploded which IMO was a big factor in shutting down baseball. These areas will take longer to be ready for MLB, they want to delay baseball for the whole country until they are able to have home games. This plan also draws out the season that MN will have to unfairly play their last games in neutral stadiums taking away home field advantage, so why do more responsible areas like MN be penalized? I think the AZ plan was to appease those who didn`t want any baseball. I still believe it`s still a viable plan to start earlier & finish earlier (to be sure the season would be complete if something flares up when the weather become colder). As some areas would be ready before the July 2 due date so as not over strain AZ. So I hope the AZ plan isn`t totally scraped. AZ plan could be a temporary plan until the teams are liberated by their states

 

 

I also thought using the spring training sites with no fans was a decent option. I mean why open up those giant ballparks with no one in them. So might as well play in the spring training complexes, plus there is a lot of workout and practice areas right there. So might as well at least start like that and then move back to their parks when that time is able to come.

 

MLB really needs to think about this, I know this is going to seem egotistical, however, if the NBA or some other professional league gets back to playing before MLB then MLB will lose out on an opportunity to become the national past time once again. It seems to me that obviously the NFL and the NBA and maybe a few other sports have passed baseball in popularity over the last few decades. However, if MLB was the first professional league to get up and running everyone in the US would tune in to MLB especially if it's the only option for a period of time. People are dying to see live sports on TV and it would probably help people stay inside more.

 

Now I'm not saying to do something that is unsafe. I'm saying that MLB has to be 100% ready to go when sports are given the opportunity to open up without fans. It just seems like they throw ideas around and they don't seem to have a for sure plan that they are going to implement when the opportunity arises. They need to draw something up that is safe and go with it and try to be the most prepared when they are given the chance to play. So that way they can beat those other leagues to the punch basically by just being all on the same page and ready when the government tells them it's ok. The likely hood of all states being able to all go at the same time is almost nill. So if they have an Arizona plan or a spring training plan it is way more highly likely that Arizona will be completely open way before New York will, and since we will only be able to see it on TV it really doesn't matter if they play in their home parks or not.

 

Regardless, I can say that I am hoping for sure that at some point they can get started. Other sports too, I'd just like to see baseball get top billing for a week or two. Maybe guys like Ronald Acuna and Mike Trout or even a Nelson Cruz will become more of a household names once again. MLB could help their product out a ton by just having all of their ducks in a row and Uber ready to go when the ok is given.

[DocBauer]

Not afraid of the Twins playing anyone and I'm sure they aren't either. But this re-alignment proposal makes absolutely no sense to me. Unless they propose to only play the teams within your division?? No trips to the coasts, if you're the Twins, no playing any team within the other divisions is the only way you save money here.

 

Even in an abbreviated season, you think the Twins, and other teams, don't want to see the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, etc, come to town? Now if there are no fans at any point, then the hoopla of different teams goes away, and you might as well just play your own division. Then, yes, you save expenses.

 

If you want something at least resembling a normal, though abbreviated season, you avoid such things as a quick 6 game trip out of town. You have slightly longer road trips where you "sneak in" 2 game series against different division or league opponents. Example: Twins head out west to play the A's and Angels, maybe finishing with the Mariners, before you come home. While out west, you play a couple 2 games with the Giants and Dodgers mixed in.

 

How about going old school and for one year there are no league cross over games? Eliminates any DH controversy like this proposal inherits.

 

We're going to have a shorter season that will always have an asterisk beside it. But why make it even stranger and harder of a season with an even larger asterisk? Just keep things the way they are aligned, play fewer games, mix in a few double headers, play a few 2 game series, and organize road trips to be more efficient. And again, you could just eliminate cross-league games for a season if it makes sense.

 

Doesn't that just make a lot more sense?

 

*and yeah, the Atlanta thing just boggles the mind.

[DocBauer]

In regard to milb, IF there will not be fan attendance, or none for a portion of the season, why not follow the original AZ/FL proposal that was brought up for MLB?

 

I hate the idea of cities/towns losing out on their team's season's for a variety of reasons, whether it be for the entire shortened season or a portion of it. And I have no idea what kind of facilities the other 29 teams have at their ST complexes, but unless I'm grossly mistaken, don't they all have multiple fields and living facilities to accommodate their milb ST? Let them play there for 70-80 games or so and play the teams in their respective states.

[SkyBlueWaters]

I believe MLB is planning what to do if a city has a covid 19 virus outbreak. The players want to be close to their families. Perhaps the driving factor is what to do if all of a team's home games have to be played on the road, due to an outbreak.

 

The plan minimizes travel, particularly for the 10 west teams.

 

Look at Atlanta on a map. Barely closer to Cincy. St. Louis not too much farther away.

 

The two Florida teams would stay with the east. P'burgh is closer, on average, to the eastern teams. For example, in the northeastern 8 teams, look at the longest trip, Pitt to Boston. Now compare Pitt to KC, St. Louis, Twin Cities.

 

I'm not advocating, just trying to see the rationale. Imagine the season begins, and crisis erupts again. Now they are back on the fence, trying to sort out: Do we keep going, or cancel?

 

Perhaps the flexibility to play "home" games nearby (albeit on the road), with TV crews at the ready, in empty ballparks, is a consideration?

 

My personal take:  I'd watch it. Apologies to John de Vries' Desperate Housegraphs, but I'm unlikely to become a fan. Women dousing each other with champagne? I'd rather see Kepler & Sano.

[Twodogs]

I believe MLB is planning what to do if a city has a covid 19 virus outbreak. The players want to be close to their families. Perhaps the driving factor is what to do if all of a team's home games have to be played on the road, due to an outbreak.

 

The plan minimizes travel, particularly for the 10 west teams.

 

Look at Atlanta on a map. Barely closer to Cincy. St. Louis not too much farther away.

 

The two Florida teams would stay with the east. P'burgh is closer, on average, to the eastern teams. For example, in the northeastern 8 teams, look at the longest trip, Pitt to Boston. Now compare Pitt to KC, St. Louis, Twin Cities.

 

I'm not advocating, just trying to see the rationale. Imagine the season begins, and crisis erupts again. Now they are back on the fence, trying to sort out: Do we keep going, or cancel?

 

Perhaps the flexibility to play "home" games nearby (albeit on the road), with TV crews at the ready, in empty ballparks, is a consideration?

 

My personal take: I'd watch it. Apologies to John de Vries' Desperate Housegraphs, but I'm unlikely to become a fan. Women dousing each other with champagne? I'd rather see Kepler & Sano.

Hopefully Kepler and Sano are dousing each other with Champagne in October?

[twinstalker]

East: NYY, NYM, Bos, Bal, Phi, Was, Pit
Central: Tor, Det, Cle, Min, ChC, ChW, Mil, KC
South: Mia, TB, Atl, Hou, Tex, StL, Cin
West: Col, Ari, SD, LAA, LAD, SF, Oak, Sea

 

Play 42 games in your division, 46 outside, then an extra X (0-8) games against your rival, like Milwaukee for us. That's plenty of season, given what we're dealing with.

[Tomj14]

As much as I love baseball, I have zero interest in major league baseball starting, when my son has basically been locked in our house for two months, unable to play with friends or play baseball this summer on a team. I also have zero interest in major league baseball when Governors decisions are forcing the closures of small business. 

Damn near half the population so frickin scared to leave their house because they are afraid of a virus that unless you are very old or have crazy underlying issues there is a very good chance they wouldn't even know they had it.

If baseball is safe enough for major league players, then it should be safe enough minor league players, and if it is safe enough for professionals, it should be safe enough for the college players, and so on right down to little league.

I know I am in the minority but until everybody is honest with selves, this virus isn't going away for many, many months (at least 3 to 4 or at worst 18 -24), either by herd immunity or a vaccine, which really leaves us two choices, continue to lock down until it is gone, or try to get everything back to normal as soon as possible,  This middle ground is causing more damage IMO.

[In My La Z boy]

If limiting travel is the reasoning behind this plan, I am not understanding why we don't just leave the divisions alone - and play the regular season within the division?
20 games against each division rival and you have an 80 game season - add one extra wild card for a total of 6 teams reaching the playoffs in each league. The 2 division winners with the best regular season record get a first round bye. Is this too easy?

I don't see the need for re-aligning everything. Keep the integrity of the divisions and the leagues. Geography is why the divisions are the divisions in the first place. 

[Tomj14]

 

If limiting travel is the reasoning behind this plan, I am not understanding why we don't just leave the divisions alone - and play the regular season within the division?
 

Limiting travel and health are not the reasoning behind this, maximizing profit (which I don't disagree with) is the reason behind this, but MLB have the balls to say it.  MN having 10 home and 10 road games against KC, DET, CHW and Cleveland doesn't do that. (and the same can be said the same is almost all divisions.)

But the Yanks, playing Boston, Mets Washington, Philly almost ever night does, or the Dodgers, playing the Angels, Giants, A's does as well.

 

Also if this would happen and work, why ever go back?

[In My La Z boy]

 

Limiting travel and health are not the reasoning behind this, maximizing profit (which I don't disagree with) is the reason behind this, but MLB have the balls to say it.  MN having 10 home and 10 road games against KC, DET, CHW and Cleveland doesn't do that. (and the same can be said the same is almost all divisions.)

But the Yanks, playing Boston, Mets Washington, Philly almost ever night does, or the Dodgers, playing the Angels, Giants, A's does as well.

 

Also if this would happen and work, why ever go back?

Exactly

[Trov]

I agree the Atlanta in Central and not Pittsburgh makes little sense.  Even more so, when Rays are in the East and have to fly past Atlanta to get to most games.  Also, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are closer to each other than Pittsburgh and any of the other east teams.  However, there will always be some teams that have to travel further. 

 

Personally, I think the most viable option is the the Spring training homes would be best for play, but players have biggest push back.  The travel is the least, can be done via bus, you can use the minor league fields for the simulated games for minor league players for replacement due to injury and the like.  However, players and their families would not want this right now.

 

I am wondering how the DH rules will be.  Will they go like normal interleague play where home team rules apply, and of course have significantly more interleague games?  This really puts the Twins at a disadvantage when we would be relying on so much from our DH in the offense.  Now, half the road games would be played without DH, that is much more than the about 9 road games it was.  So then Cruz would be sitting 40 games just because pitchers would have to hit.  This would greatly affect his contribution to the team.  Additionally, depending on schedule he could have long stints of not playing at all, I bet if there was a 9 plus game NL road trip Mr. Cruz might have a sore ankle that lands him on the DL for 15 days.

[SkyBlueWaters]

 

 

I am wondering how the DH rules will be.  Will they go like normal interleague play where home team rules apply, and of course have significantly more interleague games?  

 

I guess it depends which plan is implemented. The first plan I heard of, which was to use Grapefruit and Cactus League parks, mixing NL & AL teams into divisions of five, called for universal DH. Which of course upset some people.

 

I don't know if the 3 divisions of 10 each format would also include the universal DH.

 

One thing I did like in that initial plan was using computers to call balls and strikes. I'm soo tired of seeing pitches far outside called strikes, or vice versa. Even if the digital strike zone isn't perfect, how could it be worse than what we've endured for years?