MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has brought more change to the game of baseball than any MLB Commissioner before him. And while some changes have been viewed favorably, New York Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose seems to believe that Manfred has been slowly taking away parts of baseball that have made the sport great.
Manfred appeared on the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the series finale between the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners, where he spoke about the possibility of any further changes to the sport pertaining to expansion, realignment, or postseason expansion.
While Manfred didn’t have any plans of playoff expansion in the future, he did explain how geographic realignment and league expansion as possibilities that go hand in hand with one another, citing both as options for the future.
“I think the first two topics are related in my mind,” said Manfred. “I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we can save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN. Because you would be playing out of the East, out of the West.
“That 10:00 timeslot, where we sometimes get Boston/Anaheim, would be 2 West Coast teams. And that 10:00 slot that’s a problem for us sometimes becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience. So I think the owners realize that there is demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities. And we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.”
Manfred also discussed geographic realignment.
“That 10:00 timeslot, where we sometimes get Boston/Anaheim, would be 2 West Coast teams. And that 10:00 slot that’s a problem for us sometimes becomes a real opportunity for our West Coast audience.”pic.twitter.com/3NkVqfL7W3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 18, 2025
As Manfred referenced, there are obviously a lot of potential positives to geographic realignment if more teams were added to the league. But it does further change the tradition that many baseball fans love, which seems to be the case for Howie Rose.
In a post on X on Sunday, Rose aired his grievances about the potential changes laid out by Manfred, explaining how geographic realignment would be the “last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great” in his eyes.
“This is what I’ve been telling you is inevitable for quite a while now,” wrote Rose in a post on X. “The American League (1901) and the National League (1876) will cease to exist as we know them. The last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great.”
This is what I’ve been telling you is inevitable for quite a while now. The American League (1901) and the National League (1876) will cease to exist as we know them. The last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great. https://t.co/P88WdqWvDu
— Howie Rose (@HowieRose) August 18, 2025
Rose has long been a baseball purist, airing his grievances in the past about several of Manfred’s changes to the game. So it’s perhaps not all that surprising to hear his stance on the possibility of geographic realignment.
Still, Rose is someone who has a voice that holds significant weight in the game of baseball, given all that he has accomplished over his five-decade-long career as a broadcaster. So it will be interesting to see if others in the baseball media space follow suit in opposing further potential changes from Manfred.
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.