Baseball fans in Los Angeles could be seeing much more than one Freeway Series this season.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, MLB is considering some drastic changes in efforts to get baseball back on the field sooner rather than later. One of those changes would see a switch from your usual National and American Leagues to a more location-friendly Cactus and Grapefruit leagues that are typical during Spring Training.
This type of breakdown would see the formation of new divisions as well as allow for matchups that are rarely seen. Below is the proposed League Breakdown:
The first thing that stands out is how drastic the balance of powerhouse teams would be. While the Grapefruit league would have the Yankees, Rays, Braves, Mets, and the reigning champion Nationals among the top competitors, the Dodgers find themselves with a much easier slate. Besides the Brewers, Athletics, and possibly the Cubs, no other teams provide a proven challenge for the boys in Blue. The obvious intrigue would be multiple series against the newly reloaded Angels of Anaheim and the star power that would be on display.
This is only one of many possible scenarios that MLB is tinkering with as they do their best to provide a good product on the field, even if that is a dramatically different one than most fans are used to. While all the details are unknown still, it is believed that a universal DH would be implemented as well.
In a year that will be drastically different across all sports leagues, anything that can help bring baseball back into our lives must be explored, taking into account the recommendations of health officials of course. And while this new proposal is far from a finished product, it once again offers hope that someway or somehow there will be baseball this season.
