What life could look like for Tigers if Rob Manfred's geographic relocation happens

On Sunday, as a guest in the booth during the Little League Classic in Williamsport, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke frankly about the idea of a geographical realignment following a potential expansion.

"I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign," he said. "I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN because you'd be playing up out of the East and out of the West."

A number of proposals for a realigned MLB already exist. The most popular one, originally written by Jim Bowden for the Athletic back in 2023, resurfaced after Manfred's interview. Bowden's idea does away with the National and American Leagues and replaces them with Eastern and Western Conferences with four divisions made up of four teams each (and involving two new brand new teams). He had the Tigers ending up in the North Division of the Eastern Conference with the Reds, Guardians, and Blue Jays.

An even older proposal from FanGraphs kept the NL and AL and had the Tigers in the AL North with the White Sox, Guardians, and Brewers (although it also had the Twins in a new AL South, so maybe take that one with a grain of salt).

More proposals have either surfaced or been published since, each presenting a weird future Tigers fans might have to prepare for.

Where would Tigers end up in a potentially realigned MLB after commissioner Rob Manfred's comments?

An updated plan published by The Athletic, this time by Stephen J. Nesbitt, sticks to the current layout more than others. It keeps the NL and AL, with the Tigers in an AL North that's exactly the same as the currently AL Central, but without the Royals, who move to a new AL South with the Astros, Rangers, and Rockies, the only NL team to switch leagues. It also proposes a new AL team in either Portland or Salt Lake City to go in the AL West with the Mariners, Athletics, and Angels.

It's been almost 25 years since 2001's failed realignment, which saved the Twins and the Expos (for the time being). The last time they were actually able to make it happen was 1991, when the AL Central was created (without the Tigers until 1998) and the expanded playoff format was introduced.

The Athletic's most recent idea feels like the most plausible so far. It wouldn't change much for the Tigers, but it would still take some getting used to.