Mike Krukow gives MLB a warning for proposed realignment's impact on SF Giants

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred floated the idea of expansion and realignment for baseball recently. While it is not completely clear what this could look like, SF Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow had a warning for MLB in how they implement this.

There are plenty of things Giants fans can hope for in a potential realignment, but one thing no Giants fans would want is a weakening of the rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was Krukow's biggest concern about the potential change.

SF Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow warns MLB not to mess with Giants-Dodgers rivalry

In an appearance on KNBR, Krukow said: “My concern is when you make these divisional changes and you realign the playoffs, do not turn your back on the histories of and the traditions of the game because initially I saw this and the Dodgers and the Giants were not the same division.”

Krukow is certainly not alone in this concern. In some proposed or mock ideas for what this realignment could look like with the focus being on geography, the Giants and Dodgers do get split up into different divisions as would the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.

These are deep, storied rivalries that have spanned decades and, in the case of the Dodgers and Giants, made the move from one coast to another. To lessen these rivalries would be to cheapen them in the name of an initiative that many were not asking for.

Krukow did note that a proposed realignment made some sense with the increase in interleague play and the fact that every team plays every other team at least once every season which means more travel for the players. Organizing things based on geography more would make sense, but MLB really does have to be careful in the way they go about it.

Our own Michael Swinehart recently made his own proposal for a realignment that would keep the Giants-Dodgers rivalry intact.

MLB's proposed realignment will certainly take time to figure out and will face a lot of scrutiny. If fan backlash is fierce enough, MLB may decide to scrap it. For now, Krukow's concern about the rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers is likely shared by many fans so if MLB does go ahead with this change one can only hope the league will heed Krukow's warning.

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