Can Washington go home again — to the American League?
Realignment has been a serious topic of discussion for MLB commissioner Bud Selig over the All-Star break. The National League has 16 teams, two more than the American League. Selig hinted one team could move to balance the leagues.
Maybe Milwaukee will return to the AL. That would mean the NL Central would no longer have six teams when the other divisions have four or five. Perhaps Arizona will move from the NL West to the AL West.
But what about the Nationals? Washington was an AL city from 1901 to 1971, when the Senators left for Texas. The old saying goes “First in war, first in peace and last in the American League.” Never hear anybody use that nowadays even though the Nats recently spent four long years in the NL basement.
Baseball fans were so starved after a 34-year drought that they willingly welcomed the dreadful Montreal Expos to town in 2005. There weren’t many complaints when the Nationals lost 298 games in the last three seasons. It was baseball, and that was good enough.
But wouldn’t it have felt more like a homecoming if the AL East teams were in town for more than an occasional interleague series? To see the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles come to Nationals Park regularly like the old days?
After six years, the Houston Astros, Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres are familiar opponents, but they lack the juice of the old AL rivalries. Sure, nobody’s thrilled when the AL’s Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels visit, but overall the AL has more history in the District.
The biggest downside of moving to the AL East would be the payrolls of the Yankees and Red Sox. The Nats could fall into the same trap as the Orioles. Washington wouldn’t be able to outspend New York and Boston for free agents, but its recent improvement has been through the draft anyway.
The Lerner family will never outspend rivals, but a smart front office can keep the team competitive. Jayson Werth is proof you can’t buy success. The crosstown Redskins have proved that repeatedly. Free agency is supposed to be a supplement, not a staple, so Washington needn’t worry about New York and Boston’s deep coffers because a bidding war won’t occur too often.
Washington might even gain an attendance bump by switching leagues. There will be more full houses for New York and Boston even if opposing fans fill the seats. They have to act better than Philadelphia fans.
Washington might lose a touch of momentum if it switched leagues after marketing the NL since it arrived. But the excitement of returning to the AL again would re-energize many fans.
Switching leagues is probably a long shot, but it’s certainly worth a long conversation.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
