2028 MLB Expansion and Realignment

From 2022-2026 the MLB began began to accept expansion bids as well as ballpark plans. In December 2026 the MLB and the MLBPA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, during which expansion draft rules were laid out. Portland and Charlotte became the two cities that are chosen to be the expansion teams for the 2028 season. Each league will now have 16 teams with 4 divisions instead of 3.

Charlotte Crowns
The Charlotte expansion team will be known as the Charlotte Crowns, chosen because of the city's nickname "the Queen City". David Tepper (also the owner of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the MLS' Charlotte FC) will be the main owner of the team. Their stadium will be known as Queen City Field.

Cleveland Indians renaming
The Cleveland Indians announced on December 13, 2020 that they would change the name of their team after the 2021 season. On July 23, 2021 it was announced that the new name would be the Cleveland Guardians.

Oakland Athletics relocation
The Oakland Athletics decided to relocate following the end of their stadium lease in 2024. They ultimately chose to move to Las Vegas over several other interested cities that included Portland, Nashville, Montreal, and Charlotte. Their ball park will be built on the Las Vegas strip in Paradise, Nevada. MGM Resorts International will own the naming rights of their new stadium.

Portland Pines
Plans for an MLB team in Portland first began in 2017 with the Portland Diamond Project group. This ownership group which includes retired Nike vice president Craig Cheek, former Portland Trail Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett as well as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson along with his wife, singer, songwriter and entertainer Ciara. The name Portland Pines was chosen over the Lumberjacks, Loggers, Beavers, and Mavericks. Their stadium will be known as the Portland Diamond Ballpark

Tampa Bay Rays in Montreal
The Tampa Bay Rays played half of their home games in Montreal from 2022 to 2027. During this period of time the team was known as the TB-Montreal ExRays, a reference to former MLB team Montreal Expos. Beginning with the 2028 season the team will relocate to Montreal on a full-time basis and will change their name again to the Montreal Expos. The team has returned to the former home of the Montreal Expos with Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Realignment

 * The Colorado Rockies are moved to the American League.
 * The Baltimore Orioles are moved to the National League.
 * The Portland Pines are added to the American League.
 * The Charlotte Crowns are added to the National League.

Postseason Change
The MLB will add a second Wild Card game to the playoffs with the games being broken down as follows:


 * Wild Card Game 1: Non-division winner with best record hosts non-division winner with the second best record
 * Wild Card Game 2: Division winner with worst record hosts Wild Card Game 1 winner.
 * LDS 1: Division winner with best record hosts Wild Card Game 2 winner.
 * LDS 2: Division winner with second best record hosts division winner with third best record.

154-game Season
With two new teams being added to the MLB, it is decided that the season will be shortened from 162 games to 154. The schedule will be broken down as follows:


 * 18 games vs. each division opponent (54 games total)
 * 6 games vs. every other team in the league (72 games total)
 * 6 games vs. each team in an interleague division (24 games total)
 * 4 games vs. geographic interleague rival

The NL adopting the DH
With the new CBA taking effect in 2027, it is decided that the National League will adopt the designated hitter rule that the American League has had since 1973.

Expansion Draft
The 2027 MLB Expansion Draft will take in November, approximately 5 months before the start of the season. The rules of the MLB expansion draft will be as follows:


 * Each team can protect 15 players in the first round, add three more players in the second round, and three more players in the third round.
 * Teams must protect any player with a no-trade clause or 10-5 rights.
 * Each team will lose exactly one player in the first and second round. No team will lose more than one player in the third round.
 * All players in an organization will be eligible to be drafted, except those with no prior major league experience who had less than three years service if signed at age 19 or older, or had less than four years of service if signed at age 18 or younger.
 * Free agents cannot be protected.

A coin toss is held before the expansion draft, and the winner could choose either (1) the first overall pick in the expansion draft or (2) to allow the other team to pick first and receive both the second and third overall expansion draft picks and the right to pick first in the subsequent rounds of the expansion draft.