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Afternoon Edition

August 18, 2025

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred laid out a vision for realignment that would see the end of the division structure as we know it—and lead to two new franchises, baseball’s first since 1998.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

MLB Eyes Realignment, Expansion As Media Shake-Up Looms [[link removed]]

Arizona Republic

Major League Baseball continues to inch toward a new set of short-term media-rights deals, but those forthcoming pacts could be just the start of even more radical changes coming to the league.

Commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking on ESPN during Sunday night’s MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., between the Mariners and Mets, said a set of pacts to redistribute rights being forfeited by ESPN [[link removed]] are close to done.

ESPN remains involved [[link removed]] as part of a potentially reworked agreement. The Disney-owned network is keen to keep baseball for its forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service [[link removed]], with Apple and NBC Sports also part of the ongoing talks.

“We’re having very detailed conversations with a number of parties, including ESPN,” Manfred said. “We hope to have it resolved in the next couple of weeks. It’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle.”

Industry sources tell Front Office Sports that the MLB media talks are indeed “accelerating. It’s definitely getting closer.” It’s also possible that Sunday Night Baseball, a flagship component of the current ESPN rights, could be split among multiple networks.

A late-August timetable to complete the media agreements could also roughly coincide with the expected release of the 2026 regular-season schedule around then. The deals will be for just the 2026–2028 seasons, as Manfred then intends to pursue a large-scale reconstruction [[link removed]] of the sport’s media profile to blend national and local rights.

Reshuffling the Deck

Manfred, meanwhile, also detailed a grander vision in the ESPN interview about pursuing MLB realignment that would likely do away with the traditional National and American leagues and the current six-division format.

Geographic realignment and a structure more akin to the NBA and NHL is not a new idea within MLB, and has been internally discussed for years. The commissioner’s comments on national TV, however, gave the notion far greater prominence.

That plan would be paired with the addition of two expansion teams to bring the league to 32 franchises. MLB expansion has long been delayed, due largely to the stadium sagas of the A’s and Rays. Those two situations, however, could at last be headed toward resolution with the A’s now building a new ballpark in Las Vegas [[link removed]] and the Rays likely to receive new ownership [[link removed]].

A series of prospective markets, including Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando, and Portland, have openly sought MLB expansion franchises. The league last expanded in 1998 with the addition of the Rays and Diamondbacks.

“I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign,” Manfred 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 we could be playing out of the east and out of the west.”

Any sort of realignment, however, would need to be collectively bargained with the MLB Players Association. In the immediate term, though, this issue will take a back seat to economic concerns that are a source of rising tension [[link removed]]. The realignment concept also interweaves with Manfred’s desire to pursue a more nationally oriented media strategy.

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Rich Golf Weekend Sees PGA Tour, LIV Players Split $53M in Bonuses [[link removed]]

The Indianapolis Star

PGA Tour and LIV Golf players cashed nearly $53 million in bonuses Sunday, following the penultimate events of the rival leagues’ respective seasons.

Leading the way was Jon Rahm, who earned $18 million for winning LIV’s individual season-long championship for the second year in a row. Rahm did not win a single tournament all year, but had four runner-up finishes, and his worst result was a tie for 11th in Dallas.

Joaquin Niemann, who won five LIV tournaments [[link removed]] this year, finished second in the points race, taking home an $8 million bonus. However, Niemann beat Rahm on the money list, cashing $22.22 million from LIV tournament winnings alone, with Rahm earning $13.6 million.

Bryson DeChambeau finished the LIV season in third place in points, good for a $4 million bonus.

LIV’s event in Indianapolis over the weekend wrapped up the individual portion of the season. This coming weekend’s event in Detroit will crown a team champion.

PGA Tour Payouts

The PGA Tour awarded another $22.93 million of FedExCup bonus money following Sunday’s BMW Championship, as part of a restructured distribution model [[link removed]] for the season-long competition. This comes after the top 10 PGA Tour players at the end of the regular season earned a collective $60 million [[link removed]] in bonus money.

The top five players in the FedExCup standings through Sunday’s penultimate playoff event all cashed seven-figure checks:

1st: Scottie Scheffler, $5 million 2nd: Rory McIlroy, $3.5 million 3rd: J.J. Spaun, $2.6 million 4th: Justin Rose, $1.8 million 5th: Tommy Fleetwood, $1.45 million

All 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship earned bonuses ranging from $900,000 for 6th place to $195,000 for 30th. This week’s playoff finale at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta will crown the 2025 FedExCup champion, offering a $40 million purse that will count as official money [[link removed]], not bonus money, for players in yet another change to the PGA Tour’s postseason.

Scheffler Surging

Scheffler won the BMW Championship on Sunday, his fifth victory of the year, taking his official tournament winnings on the season to $23.96 million, and his career earnings (not including bonus money) to $95.75 million, which is now within striking distance of Phil Mickelson ($96.72 million), who is third all-time on the PGA Tour money list.

Scheffler can pass Mickelson at the Tour Championship if he finishes solo 8th or better. A two-way tie for second place, or higher, would vault Scheffler past the $100 million mark.

Additionally, Scheffler has won $23 million in bonus money [[link removed]] this season.

EXCLUSIVE

Kalshi Adds TD Props Despite Legal Hurdles

Kalshi is launching new football prop bets—touchdowns, totals, spreads—even after a Maryland court setback, the company confirmed to Front Office Sports. For more on the prediction-market platform’s plans, read the full story by Ben Horney and Ryan Glasspiegel here [[link removed]].

MLB’s Payroll Powerhouses Bounce Back After Summer Swoon [[link removed]]

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

What a difference a week makes for MLB’s top economic and competitive powers.

The Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, the league’s three biggest payroll spenders [[link removed]] and scuffling through surprisingly difficult summers, [[link removed]] each have made sizable steps in recent days toward reasserting their power and living up to the lofty expectations placed on them.

After briefly falling into second place in the National League West division for the first time since April, the Dodgers swept the archrival Padres over the weekend at home. Los Angeles, backed by a league-record luxury-tax payroll of $407 million, had been dogged by a series of injuries and on-field woes in which a nine-game division lead evaporated in the span of five weeks.

“It’s very satisfying, considering where we were [just] four days ago,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Just the way we ramped up the focus, the intensity.”

The Yankees, MLB’s No. 3 payroll team at $316.7 million, have won five of their last six, including a weekend sweep on the road at the Cardinals.

The $338.7 million Mets, meanwhile, claimed wins both Saturday and Sunday over the surging Mariners. Saturday’s game included the major league debut of highly touted pitching prospect Nolan McLean, who lived up to the hype with eight strikeouts in five and a third scoreless innings. Sunday’s game, meanwhile, included an appearance by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in the ESPN primetime broadcast of the MLB Little League Classic, in which he detailed large-scale changes contemplated by the league [[link removed]].

The victories were the Mets’ first consecutive wins in three weeks.

“It feels good,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We need to start winning series. It’s been rough [and] tough for all of us.”

While the Dodgers remain the clear favorite in betting odds to win the World Series, both the Yankees and Mets improved their respective positions considerably after the recent wins. The New York clubs, however, remain behind a pack of mid- and small-market teams, including the surging Brewers [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Explaining Michigan’s NCAA Sanctions

FOS illustration

The NCAA issued the University of Michigan a $20 million fine and other recruiting penalties over its sign-stealing scandal, but notably did not include any postseason ban. FOS reporter Amanda Christovich explains what this means for the Wolverines and the next steps in the appeals process.

Plus, Johnny Manziel joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington to talk about missing the NIL (name, image, and likeness) era, where things stand with Texas A&M, and how his relationship with Drake has opened new doors.

Also, we get a pulse check with FOS newsletter writer Eric Fisher on some of the biggest proposals in sports (CFP and MLB expansion, plus a possible U.K. Super Bowl), and how realistic they are to happen.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Standard Pricing Extended

Front Office Sports returns to The Times Center in Manhattan on Sept. 16 for Tuned In [[link removed]].

This daylong event will feature candid conversations with the biggest names in sports media, including:

Adam Silver, NBA Rob Manfred, MLB Kim Ng, AUSL Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN Eric Shanks, FOX Sports Luis Silberwasser, TNT Sports Jay Marine, Amazon Rick Cordella, NBC Sports Betsy Riley, NBC Olympics Maria Taylor, NBC Sports Ian Eagle, CBS Sports Noah Eagle, NBC Sports

Additionally, Stephen A. Smith and Clay Travis will hit the stage for a fiery debate about sports and politics.

Included in your ticket is a full day of programming, lunch, top-tier networking opportunities, and a post-event cocktail hour.

Standard pricing has been extended to Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Get your ticket [[link removed]] now for the best price.

STATUS REPORT Four Up

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Sue Bird ⬆ The Seattle Storm unveiled a statue for the Hall of Famer on Sunday outside of the Climate Pledge Arena. Bird, a 13-time All-Star who led the franchise to four championships, is the first WNBA player to be commemorated with a statue by her organization.

MLS ⬆ German soccer star Thomas Müller made his MLS debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday. He signed a two-year deal that is expected to pay him around $6 million next year once he’s converted to a designated player. The 35-year-old, who led Bayern Munich to 13 Bundesliga titles, made the second major MLS debut in the last two weeks, following Son Heung-min with LAFC [[link removed]].

SportsCenter nostalgia ⬆ ESPN said former SportsCenter anchor and current NFL Network host Rich Eisen will return to the flagship program to anchor the 11 p.m. ET edition Monday from Los Angeles, which will follow a Monday Night Football preseason game between the Bengals and Commanders. Eisen, who was with ESPN from 1996 to 2003, will maintain his NFL Network role. The appearance is a forerunner to a much larger collaboration [[link removed]] between the two networks involving Eisen that also exists amid the equity deal [[link removed]] between the NFL and ESPN parent Disney.

Sharks ⬆ The NHL team and the city of San Jose reached a lease extension deal that will keep the franchise at the publicly owned SAP Center until 2051. The deal includes city commitments of $325 million toward $425 million in upgrades to the 32-year-old arena, with the Sharks responsible for any cost overruns. SAP Center has never undergone a large-scale renovation.

Editors’ Picks Limitations on Prop Bets Supported by NBA, Players’ Union [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The union is trying to combat online and in-person harassment. ‘Fauxbacks’ Throw Back to a Retro Uniform That Never Existed [[link removed]]by Jake Kring-Schreifels [[link removed]]Many throwback jerseys are brand-new designs or “Franken-Unis.” DISCLAIMER

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