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Realignment has been a major topic of conversation over the last week, with Rob Manfred all but confirming it's inevitable once there is expansion in Major League Baseball. Over the next 10 years, the expectation remains that there will be the creation of two new teams, and that will force the league to realign its current divisions. In his latest notebook for USA Today, Bob Nightengale suggested that the Astros could be reunited with some old rivals based on a previously discussed realignment plan.
Nightengale suggested it could see four eight-team divisions that would have the Astros as part of the "Midwest" division. The division would also include the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers.
MLB division shake-up could reunite Astros with old enemies
In one way, it would have the feel of the last time the Astros were in the National League. As part of the National League Central before their move to the American League, the Astros would see their rivalries reignited with the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals. Instead of the doormats being the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, the new plan would place that label on the White Sox and Rockies as part of this potential new-look division.
It would be fascinating to see the Astros and Brewers in the same division. While the Cubs have the financial means to build a model similar to the one that turned the Astros into a dynasty, it has been the Brewers who have felt like the National League's version of Houston. Even when the odds are stacked against Milwaukee and it seems a reset is inevitable, they find a way to be among the best teams in baseball. It
Wherever the Astros go, it would make sense that they will remain a part of the same division as the Texas Rangers. Travel will be the theme of realignment once it does occur, so it feels inevitable that the two Texas teams will be grouped together. Same for the teams in Chicago, New York, and California.