How does Rob Manfred's vision of division realignment impact the Toronto Blue Jays
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Toronto Blue Jays might land in a new MLB division and here's what it could look like.
For any fan who's followed the Toronto Blue Jays for a long time, they know just how daunting the American League East can be.
The Blue Jays have won the division just six times since 1977, including when it was a seven-team division from 1977 to 1993.
The five-team group has remained unchanged since 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now just Rays) joined the league as an expansion team.
Since the current division alignment went into effect, 13 AL East teams have made the World Series (New York Yankees seven times, Boston Red Sox four times, and Tampa Bay twice).
That's 48 per cent of all possible World Series berths, with the other two American League Divisions making up the remaining 52 per cent.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was on an ESPN broadcast on Sunday Night Baseball this past weekend, and explored the possibility of expansion teams, which could also lead to a major reimagining of what the MLB's divisional structure could look like.
"It provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign, I think we can save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel," Manfred said. "I think the owners realize that there is demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process."
What would division realignment look like for the Toronto Blue Jays?
It's an interesting topic, as the last two franchises to join MLB were the Dbacks and Rays.
The Rays joined the AL East, and the Detroit Tigers ended up moving into the AL Central. Combing through historical records, books, and published articles, the
Toronto Blue Jays were one organization that had the option of moving to the AL Central when the new division was created.
However, Toronto's ownership and the front office decided to stay in the division that housed the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
This was to capitalize on the larger fanbases and potential monetary gains of being in a division with popular teams, compared to the AL Central, which housed clubs like the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians) and the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers/Blue Jays rivalry had died off considerably at the time, and the decision to remain was purely business-related.
This likely impacted their postseason aspirations moving forward, being within a tougher division that housed bigger market squads.
With this recent discourse by Manfred, it would be interesting to see how the new divisions would shake out if the Blue Jays were part of a geographical realignment.
The Toronto Blue Jays are the closest in distance to:
- Cleveland Guardians: 303 KM
- Detroit Tigers: 331 KM
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 358 KM
- Baltimore Orioles: 536 KM
- Detroit Tigers: 331 KM
- Pittsburgh Pirates: 358 KM
- Baltimore Orioles: 536 KM
This is all just hypothetical, considering that in a perfect world, I think many Jays fans would be ok with a realignment that consisted of more AL Central squads or the bottom half of the NL Central/East, like the Pirates and Nationals.
This would all be in flux as well, depending on which expansion teams are added.
If Montreal were to regain a franchise, then there is no way Major League Baseball won't have a rivalry going between the two Canadian squads.
A new team in Nashville could also make things interesting for the Jays.
Overall, expansion teams and realignment likely aren't coming anytime soon, especially with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire following the 2026 season.
Blue Jays fans, however, can continue to dream of playing more games against the AL Central.
Source: ESPN Blue Jays Nation
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