New York Yankees and 4 other teams that would benefit from MLB realignment in 2020
Scouting Report. New York Yankees. Pick Analysis. 2020 Realignment Division. East. 5. player. 43
A lot of fans won’t like this, but indeed the rich figure to get richer from this plan. The Yankees were already among the class of the AL heading into this season. Not only are they, on paper, superior to all five of the NL teams they would be taking on, but they would catch a huge break by not having to play in the same division as the defending NL East Champion Braves. Instead, they would get the Pirates.
Under this scenario, it’s easy to envision the Yankees getting fat on the Orioles, Pirates, Marlins, and the other teams that aren’t exactly doormats but clearly aren’t as good as the Yankees are. Last year, the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers were considered to be MLB’s three elite teams (at least before the playoffs). The Astros and Dodgers would be put together in the West.
That would leave the Yankees standing alone as the clearly superior East team. One could argue that, for the same reasons mentioned above, the Rays would also benefit from this plan.
Another reason that the Yankees would benefit from this plan is that the plan could foster some great rivalries with other NL teams. Of course, being in the same division as the crosstown Mets would generate a lot of fan interest. Yet it’s also easy to envision a strong rivalry forming with the nearby Phillies and the defending World Champion Nationals. Fans would really get into those games. Even the Pirates, though they don’t figure to be very good, would help form an interesting rivalry with another old NL team.