Who would the Giants be without the Dodgers, and vice versa?
Well, we might be about to find out ... eventually, that is.
In an effort to ensure that some form of a season takes place, MLB is getting creative and exploring some out-of-the-box possibilities in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Friday that MLB is considering doing away with the traditional National-American League setup for an abbreviated season, and instead realigning all teams into new divisions according to their respective spring training homes.
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As part of the radical proposal, two leagues -- the Cactus and Grapefruit -- would be created, with each being composed of three divisions. San Francisco, of course, would remain in the Cactus League, but specifically in the Northeast Division.
Northeast? San Francisco? Geography nomenclature aside, that's not nearly the biggest change that would result from the proposal.
The best divisional rivalry in the National League -- and arguably all of baseball -- would no longer exist.
That's right. For the first time ever, the Giants and Dodgers would not be divisional foes.
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San Francisco would maintain some consistency within its new five-team division, as both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies would be included. However, replacing the Dodgers and San Diego Padres would be the Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's.
Hmmm ...
Separating the Giants and Dodgers feels like an assault on the soul of MLB, but if the main concern is the depletion of long-standing rivalries, this proposal actually does a pretty decent job of supplementing them. The Cubs were a founding member of the NL, and have been playing in the same league as the Giants for nearly 140 years. There's some more recent bad blood between the franchises, too, as Chicago arguably was the only thing that stopped San Francisco from winning a fourth-straight even-year World Series in 2016.
And if rivalries are what you want -- if you've attended a recent Bay Bridge series game, you know the Giants and A's aren't exactly lacking in that department. They play against each other every year as it is, so this would just mean more encounters.
From a competitive perspective, the proposed change would be pretty much a wash in the immediate, but the Giants might prefer it long-term.
The Dodgers are tremendous right now, and are built to last. The Padres, meanwhile, are loaded with young talent, and it's likely only a matter of time until they consistently contend.
If you're overlooking Oakland, that would be quite unwise. The A's can hit and pitch with the best of them. However, it remains to be seen if they'll be able to keep the core together long-term. The Cubbies can never be counted out, but they're not set up for the future like the Padres are.
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Ultimately, the Giants likely would finish worse than any of those teams in 2020, though their future looks increasingly brighter. We don't know when baseball will return, but when it does, things could look very different.