Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred hinted that radical realignment could be coming to the sport, and Mets radio announcer Howie Rose says the American and National Leagues will “cease to exist” as a result.

Speaking on ESPN during Sunday night’s Mets-Mariners game, Manfred said, “In my mind, I think if we expand it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we would save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you’d be playing out of the East, out of the West…

“I think the owners realize that there’s demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities and that we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.”

The last round of MLB expansion came in 1998 with the additions of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays).

Manfred has previously stated his desire to reach 32 teams before his term ends in 2029, with Nashville having been rumored as one possible expansion city. Expansion, however, is contingent on the Oakland Athletics and Rays resolving their current stadium situations.

In terms of realignment, there has long been speculation that the AL and NL would be scrapped and a new geographic division would include some combination of the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies and Nationals.

“This is what I’ve been telling you is inevitable for quite a while now,” Mets radio announcer Howie Rose wrote on social media. “The American League (1901) and the National League (1876) will cease to exist as we know them. The last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great.”

Added Evan Roberts of WFAN: “Manfred confirms what we all knew… radical geographic realignment is coming. Mets and Yankees in the same division is inevitable.”

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.

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