MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made waves during an appearance on Sunday Night Baseball by citing how geographic realignment seems to be on the table for the league shortly. And while some have already begun to push back against the idea, New York Yankees play-by-play voice Michael Kay believes the proposal could be a positive for baseball if done correctly.
Baseball has always been a sport that is built on tradition. And while Kay’s cross-town broadcasting peer, New York Mets radio broadcaster Chris Rose, believes that Manfred is taking away some of the significant elements of baseball with this potential change, Kay believes there are some positive effects that a geographic realignment could have.
During the most recent episode of The Michael Kay Show, Kay outlined how he believes that a potential realignment, which could do away with Interleague play, could result in a more anticipated MLB All-Star Game and World Series, as teams from opposite leagues would have less familiarity with one another.
“Some drastic change actually does work,” said Kay. “It actually works. But this is big-time drastic. This would be the biggest thing that Rob Manfred does other than if he can get a salary cap at the next collective bargaining agreement. So the sport that your kids are going to grow up watching, like my son Charlie, is going to be completely different from the one I grew up with. Completely different. Is it for the better? I think it could be for the better if they knock off Interleague play. Because all of those rivalries that you dream about, they are in the same division now.
“Mets and the Yankees don’t need Interleague play, they are same division. Cubs and the White Sox don’t need Interleague play, same division. Dodgers and the Angels, same division. And maybe if you did that, the All-Star Game would mean something again. And more importantly, the World Series would mean something. Because that may be the first time that you face that team. It’s worth a try. I’m not saying the game is broken, because you know I love the game. But you could tweak it a little bit, and it might make it a little bit better than what you love.”
Kay has long been a proponent of change in baseball, often praising Manfred for his litany of ideas on how to increase popularity around the game. So it’s not all that surprising to see him take this stance.
It is clearly vital to Manfred that the league makes itself as enticing as possible for broadcasting partners as it continues to look to either replace or renegotiate ESPN’s media rights deal that ends after the 2025 MLB season.
Considering Manfred has already stated that he intends to take a more “national media strategy,” we may not be too far away from geographic realignment.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.