Angels fans can breathe easier after Rob Manfred's MLB realignment remarks

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made some waves when he first floated the idea of a 32-team league that included a realignment of divisions. But his latest remarks about potential changes will have Los Angeles Angels fans breathing a bit easier.

Manfred said recently that he wants to keep the "two-team cities" like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, separate. By that, he means that the Angels would not have to be in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers — something that will be welcome news to Angels fans given disparity in talent between the two franchises.

MLB realignment: Rob Manfred opposes the idea of the Angels and Dodgers being in the same division

The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014 while the Dodgers have won the World Series in each of the last two seasons. The two teams still play every season, but having to matchup against the Dodgers more than six times every year (which is the current setup for the Freeway Series) could put more losses on the board for the Halos — something they can scarcely afford.

The details on Manfred's proposed realignment are still somewhat shrouded in mystery, but Manfred has maintained that he would like to re-order two the leagues geographically, create eight divisions, and add two expansion teams.

Assuming the Angels are not in the same division as the Dodgers, any number of teams could be in the newly created division. The San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, soon-to-be Las Vegas A's, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, or a newly created expansion team — perhaps in Portland, Oregon or Salt Lake City, Utah.

It's always interesting to ponder what MLB realignment could look like for the Angels, but perhaps the more pressing issue is fielding a team that's capable of competing and maybe even making a return to the postseason.

A looming TV dispute could be part of the reason that the Angels have been so quiet this offseason, not to mention a potential lockout next winter. But there are still some moves LA could make to at least get the ball rolling with spring training just around the corner.

The Angels have a hard enough time competing in the American League West so adding the Dodgers to the mix would have been a nightmare scenario. Thankfully, if/ when MLB realignment occurs, the Angels can be grateful that they will not have to worry about their cross-city juggernaut.