2013 MLB Schedule Speculation

[SoxThunder]

Now that we know the Astros will be in the AL West in 2013, it would be interesting to speculate what the MLB schedule will look like.

Here's how I imagine the 2013 White Sox schedule:

56 games vs. AL Central (14 games vs. DET, CLE, MIN, KC)
30 games vs. AL East (6 games vs. NYY, BOS, TB, TOR, BAL)
30 games vs. AL West (6 games vs. TEX, HOU, LAA, OAK, SEA)
16 games vs. NL Central (4 games vs. Cubs, 3 games vs. STL, CIN, PIT, MIL)
15 games vs. NL East (3 games vs. ATL, MIA, PHI, WSH, NYM)
15 games vs. NL West (3 games vs. ARZ, SF, LAD, COL, SD)
TOTAL = 162

Comments: The number of intra-division games goes from 18 down to 14. This means the White Sox would play 7 home games and 7 road games against DET/CLE/MIN/KC (two 4-game series and two 3 game series).

The White Sox would play every AL East and AL West team 6 times (3 game home series, 3 game road series).

The White Sox would play every NL team (except the Cubs) 3 times. They could alternate home/away every year.

In order to total up the games to 162, the White Sox would play the Cubs 4 games per year, and it would have to be 2 home and 2 away so that there are 81 home games and 81 road games.

Every MLB team could play their geographical "interleague rival" for this 4-game series as follows:

NYY-NYM
TB-MIA
BOS-PHI
TOR-ATL
BAL-WSH

CHW-CHC
CLE-CIN
KC-STL
MIN-MIL
DET-PIT

TEX-ARZ
LAA-LAD
OAK-SF
SEA-COL
HOU-SD

I think it would be cool to have one 4 game series with the Cubs per year...2 at Wrigley, 2 at the Cell in 4 consecutive days. It's essentially acts as a 4 game series but at two different ballparks.

Also, since there would have to be year-round interleague play and we'd want to minimize the effect of interleague games on September pennant races, I propose we schedule the September interleague series with last year's worst teams facing each other. For example: BAL vs. MIA, HOU vs. SD, MIN vs. CHC. There's a higher probability that these interleague series won't have a big impact on playoff runs.

I look forward to your thoughts and reactions...

[sox1970]

18 vs Indians, Twins, Tigers, Royals (72 games)
6 vs the rest of AL teams (60 games)
3 vs Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers, Reds, Pirates every year--home and away alternate. (15 games)
3 vs the NL West teams one year. 3 vs the NL East teams the next year. (15 games)

[SoxThunder]

According to Tim Kurkjian on ESPN, a big reason for realignment is that teams like Baltimore and Toronto were complaining they had to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays 18 times per year. Your proposed schedule would not change this...

[sox1970]

According to Tim Kurkjian on ESPN, a big reason for realignment is that teams like Baltimore and Toronto were complaining they had to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays 18 times per year. Your proposed schedule would not change this...

That's not my proposal. That's what I've heard.

If it were up to me they wouldn't have divisions.

With the move of the Astros inevitable, I would like this:

16 vs AL Central (64)
8 vs AL East and AL West (80)
3 vs the Cubs every year (3)
Interleague--Division vs Division rotating every year, so the Sox would play the Cubs six games every third year. (15)