Plaschke Supports Relegation

Today on the World Wide Leader in Sports ESPN television program Around the Horn, when asked by host Tony Reali about the ridiculous floating realignment system that MLB thinkers have suggested, Bill Plaschke, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, frequent ATH contributor (and Billy Joel lookalike contest winner) suggested relegation as a solution.

A few months ago BBI also proposed relegation for Major League Baseball as a way to revamp how baseball works. Others have come up with their own proposals as well.  Maybe now is the time to really look at the concept. Here’s what Plaschke said on today’s ATH program:

“So, baseball’s great minds have gotten together and they’ve come up with THIS?  This is absolutely absurd.  Baseball’s economic system is broken so instead of trying to fix the system, they are trying to fix the heart and soul of the game to make the system work.  That’s absolutely…it makes no sense at all.  Having teams…if a team doesn’t win, oh no, boo-hoo I can’t win, I’ll just change divisions.  I’ll go to a place where maybe I can win, instead of being in it.   How ‘bout instead of this reorganization, how ‘bout, how ‘bout Relegation?  How ‘bout doing what they do in the English Premier Soccer League?  Where if you don’t do well…you know what Tampa Bay?  You don’t wanna play well here, you go to Triple A.  Go to Triple A, Tampa Bay, how about that?”

MLB needs to look at all the different proposals that are out there to fix its economic structure and the competition, including salary caps, revenue sharing, realignment and especially, relegation.

“Win or go to another league” would be one way to make sure the competition increased and could also expand the overall fan base. And it might serve as extra motivation for the teams that are perennial losers in MLB and perennial winners in the minors.

A relegation/promotion system would require a total restructuring for all baseball organizations and leagues, especially the ownership of developmental teams.  An idea perhaps would be to leave Single A and Double A alone and promote Triple A to the less-than-Premier League.  And you could then start bringing in teams from other baseball-rabid countries such as Cuba (if the US ever lifts the trade embargo), Japan and the Dominican Republic.

It’s an idea whose time has come.