Major League Baseball (MLB) consists of 30 unique teams, 15 in each of two conferences. Within the conferences, there are divisions. There are 5 teams per division and the divisions are based on directions, East, Central, and West. A total of 12 teams make the playoffs every year, 6 per conference. Each division winner automatically makes it to the playoffs, followed by the three teams with the best record. Although Rob Manfred, the commissioner of the MLB, wants a change.

The MLB is predicted to take on a 32 team format, similar to the NFL. There would be 2 conferences with four divisions in each. In each division, there would be 4 teams. The winner of each division would automatically get a spot in the playoffs. The team with the best record out of every division would be the 1st seed, then 2nd, and so on until every division winner has a spot. Then the remaining teams with the best records would be the wildcards. In the playoffs, the 1st seed would get a bye or a break while the 2nd seed would play the 7th seed, 3rd seed would play the 6th seed, and the 4th seed would play the 5th seed. The 1st seed then plays the lowest seeded team that advances, the remaining two teams play each other. Then in the conference championship, the final two teams in a conference play to buy a ticket to a Super Bowl. 

There are multiple cities that have a chance to get a new MLB team. The top five cities most likely to get a team are Salt Lake City Utah, Portland Oregon, Montreal Canada, Charlotte North Carolina, and Mexico City Mexico. Salt Lake City’s population is only about 200,000 people, although their metropolitan population is about 1,300,000. For an MLB team, that is really low. Despite its low population, Salt Lake City is still a great candidate for an MLB because of where it is geographically located. Salt Lake City is located in the more eastern part of western United States, where the only team in the area is the Colorado Rockies, making a new team for people in the Idaho area to cheer for. Portland Oregon’s population is about 650,000 people, and its metropolitan population is about 2,500,000 making it a good spot for a new team. Although, it is in close proximity to the Seattle Mariners, so it could interfere with their fanbase. Montreal Canada’s population is around 1,800,000 and its metropolitan population is around 4,100,000, making it a great place for an MLB team. Although Montreal has had a team in the past that hasn’t performed well in terms of fans and attendance. Charlotte North Carolina’s population is around 900,000 and its metropolitan population is 2,800,000 making it a decent candidate for a team. A team in Charlotte would provide the people in the Carolinas and Tennessee a team to root for. Mexico City Mexico’s population is roughly a whopping 9,200,000 with a metropolitan population of about 22,000,000, making it an excellent place for an MLB team. Though safety concerns and long travel distances prevent Mexico City from being a perfect candidate. 

Cites: https://sportsposterwarehouse.com/collections/cubs-logo-and-theme-art-items/products/mlb-major-league-baseball-logos-all-30-teams-poster-trends-international

https://www.nfl.com/standings/11playoff-picture

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/mlb-reporter-reveals-2-cities-123000014.html

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39563422/mlb-expansion-potential-cities-candidates-teams-austin-montreal-nashville-orlando-portland-raleigh-salt-lake-city