MLB expansion to 32 teams inevitable, commissioner says
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/ct-baseball-expansion-manfred-20160421-story.htmlBy Joe Knowles
Chicago Tribune
While he did not provide a timetable for it, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred indicated Thursday that expansion from 30 to 32 teams was inevitable if not imminent.
“Multiples of fours just work better (for scheduling) than multiples of fives,” Manfred said during a meeting with sports editors from around the country.
But before any decisions were made on expansion, Manfred said, “stadium issues in Tampa Bay and Oakland would need to be resolved,” hinting that the Rays and Athletics could be candidates for relocation if they did not find a way to upgrade or replace their existing facilities.
Manfred said he foresees that expansion could be “outside the contiguous 48 states” and mentioned that he had engaged in discussions with the city of Montreal about bringing major league baseball back to Canada’s second-largest city.
Manfred also addressed the “unwritten rules” of the game and some of the exuberant behavior – bat flips and showy celebrations – that has drawn criticism from former players.
“The (current) players are going define those unwritten rules about what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable,” Manfred said. “Players will find a middle ground.”
The commissioner touched on issues of fan safety, saying that he’ll need “to let the dust settle a little bit” to gauge the effectiveness of the new protective netting put in place at MLB parks for the 2016 season.
“We’ll look at it during the offseason to see if we want to go further,” Manfred said.
Asked about the playoff format, Manfred acknowledged that the one-game wild-card playoff was unforgiving, but that “it’s where we’re going to be for a little bit.”
Referring to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were knocked out in the one-game playoff in each of the past two seasons, Manfred was sympathetic but said he was “comfortable with the format.”
In 2014, the Pirates were shutout by Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants and the shutout again by Jake Arrieta and the Cubs last October.
“When you hit that hot pitcher two years in a row, that’s tough,” Manfred said.
