I agree with columnist Tara Sullivan: Fans would certainly suffer if Major League Baseball realigns (“Fans would lose with Manfred’s latest idea,” Sports, Aug. 21). The league should leave the American League East exactly as it is.
The real problem realignment seeks to address is how to group the Mountain and Pacific time zone teams, with a potential new club in Salt Lake City. There may also be a question of what to do with the Houston Astros. These aren’t AL East problems.
The Sox and Yankees are strange bedfellows. Baseball thrives on their bitter rivalry when they’re competing for the division title or the pennant. What happens if the Mets and other National League East teams come in and displace other division rivals — geography over history?
If Commissioner Rob Manfred Jr. wanted to tweak one or two teams, as when the Detroit Tigers left the AL East during the previous expansion, that would be preferable.
I’m worried that a large realignment will have unintended consequences, not least of which is upending what might be the greatest rivalry in sports. It’s not worth the risk.
Adam Silbert
New York