Major League Baseball could soon add two new teams with Raleigh, North Carolina and Salt Lake City, Utah used as the assumed expansion markets. Once the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association finish a new collective bargaining agreement, an expansion committee would likely be convened to sort out the two newest clubs. That could lead to a major realignment. The most recent divisional change came in 2013 and the article lays out a possible setup with four divisions in each league, leaving four teams in each division. The National League version keeps familiar rivalries together, including the Brewers and Cubs, while moving the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Colorado Rockies into new groupings. The American League version keeps most of the East and Central intact, while shifting the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, and a new Salt Lake City team. The regular season would still be 162 games, but the playoff format could also change with one option being 12 postseason teams instead of 14. Under that plan, the top two division winners in each league would get a buy while the final four spots would go to the best remaining records.
