Following are the current standings for my bold proposal for baseball realignment. The basic idea is two divisions, upper and lower, determined by last year's final standings. The bottom three of the First Division are relegated for next year. The top two of the Second are promoted, along with the winner of a playoff between the next four.
First Division
1. Yankees (+1 from May)
1. Rangers (+11)
3. Red Sox (+5)
4. Rays (-3)
5. Braves (+1)
6. Twins (-3)
6. Cardinals (-2)
6. Dodgers (-1)
9. Angels (+5)
10. Phillies (-3)
11. Tigers (unchanged)
12. Rockies (-2)
13. Giants (-4)
14. Marlins (-1)
15. Cubs (unchanged)
16. Mariners (unchanged)
Second Division
1. Padres (unchanged)
2. Mets (+3)
3. Reds (unchanged)
4. White Sox (+3)
5. Blue Jays (-3)
6. A's (-2)
7. Brewers (+1)
8. Nationals (-2)
8. Royals (+2)
10. Diamondbacks (+1)
10. Astros (+3)
12. Indians (unchanged)
13. Pirates (-4)
14. Orioles (unchanged)
Biggest rise: Rangers
Greatest falls: Giants and Pirates
Yes, the rise of the Rangers is impressive but there's no doubt what stands out from this one. Three of the top four teams are all in one division: the AL East. No matter what happens from here on out, one of those three teams will miss the real-world playoffs.
It's worth noting that the NL West-leading Padres do, in fact, have a better record than the Rays. The Reds are also leading their division and the Mets are currently in position for the NL wild card spot. If one of my second division teams wins the World Series, I will consider this experiment a failure.
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