New York Yankees and 4 other teams that would benefit from MLB realignment in 2020

Back in 2013, the Astros moved to the American League in order to balance out the AL and NL with 15 teams each. The move angered a Houston fanbase that was already weary from a major rebuild. The team has gotten much better, and fan interest has resurged, but many fans still can’t get used to the fact that the Astros are an AL team.

Of course, this plan would blur the lines between the two leagues, and the Astros would be able to rekindle a rivalry with at least five NL teams (Dodgers, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants). It could make a lot of Astros fans happy to see a lot more games against NL teams again.

The Dodgers-Astros rivalry, in particular, could be very interesting. It used to be a big rivalry years ago, and it could be again, both because the teams are good and because there might be some bad blood left over from the 2017 World Series after the Astros’ cheating scandal came to light. A pennant race involving these two teams would be must-see TV.

Here’s another possible reason the Astros could benefit — and this is just pure speculation and might be a bit of a reach. But could the Astros face less hostility from other teams as a result of this plan? There’s been speculation that Astros batters could get thrown at out of anger from the cheating scandal.

They’d be facing other AL teams like the Yankees a lot less often, and therefore, teams like the Diamondbacks and Rockies might not be as likely to want to throw at Astros batters.

Then again, they would still have to face their fellow AL West teams, plus the Dodgers, who are probably the angriest team of all in this. So, maybe Astros batters will still get thrown at a lot. Just something to think about.