Here’s how MLB’s 2023 schedule plan could lead to disaster

This is just asking for trouble. This scheme would have 14 teams making exactly one visit to Wrigley Field. You can’t have all of those road games in the “good weather” months. Many of them are going to have to be in April, likely more than there are now. This is just asking for more weather postponements — or games played in awful weather conditions — in the 15 ballparks in cities without domed stadiums where weather can be bad in April: Both Chicago parks, both New York parks, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas City, St. Louis, Baltimore, Washington and Cincinnati.

Look, I understand why MLB wants to schedule this way. It’s an attempt to have all of MLB’s star players appear in every ballpark at least every other year, instead of once every six years (for some) the way schedules are drawn up now. This is an eminently reasonable idea.

But with 15-team leagues, it’s just not feasible. When expansion comes — whenever that happens, and it still could be several years away — and 16 teams are in both the NL and AL, well, then it would be easy to schedule only divisional games in April. That way, if bad weather intervenes, makeup games could easily be rescheduled for future visits by divisional teams.

Now, though? Do this scheduling scheme in 2023 and the inevitable result will be either more postponed games, more games played in horrendous weather conditions, or both. And in 2023, we’re not going to have a lockout and the MLB schedule will likely begin on Thursday, March 30. Brrrrr.