ST. LOUIS — In an interview last week on Sunday Night Baseball, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sparked days of debate when he said he sees expansion as an opportunity to do more than just add two teams.

"I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign," Manfred said in the interview, televised on ESPN. "I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel."

Manfred added television was a consideration, as more West Coast vs. West Coast games could improve the value of the league's 10 p.m. EST time slot.

The league's expansion to 32 teams has long seemed like an inevitability, if only for the primary reason more teams means expansion fees and more profit for MLB. Manfred has said he wants two new teams selected before he retires in 2029, though he wanted stadium situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay settled before that process can begin. It's unlikely new teams would play before the early 2030s.

But when expansion and realignment happen, it gives the league the opportunity to do more than just add two teams and shuffle divisions around. Manfred isn't the only one with ideas — players have talked about it, too.

The Post-Gazette interviewed several Pirates players and manager Don Kelly to get a better idea of what those on the field want when, not if, MLB goes to 32 teams.

Manfred's first pitch of realignment was geography to ease up on travel for players. For the Pirates, centrally located and in a division with reasonable travel, it's not as big of a concern.

"Coming from a different league, different division, I've come to appreciate the [NL] Central travel a lot," said first baseman Spencer Horwitz, a former Blue Jay. "It makes those days way easier, especially when you don't have to go through the border a bunch and go through all that [and] customs."

But he wouldn't mind some shifting if it makes travel even easier.

"Geographically, it makes sense," Horwitz said. "It's way better on the players, and if it's better on our bodies, then hopefully it provides a better product on the field."

Realignment could take a couple of forms. If MLB goes to 32 teams, assuming it wanted to keep things evenly balanced, it could choose to organize teams in eight four-team divisions.

Pittsburgh's location gives it options. The Pirates could be placed with northeastern National League teams like the Mets, Nationals and Phillies or they could play centrally against teams like the Reds, Guardians and Tigers.

"Pittsburgh's in a weird spot," starting pitcher Mitch Keller said. "It could go so many different ways. You go left, you go right. Yeah, it's crazy, so many different options."

National publications have a few different ideas. The Athletic, in an eight-division proposal that shifted the Rockies to the American League and the Rays to the National League, proposed the Pirates join the Mets, Nationals and Phillies. Fox Sports had the Pirates as one of the teams shifting to the American League, joining the Orioles, Nationals and Guardians in the "AL Mid-Atlantic."

In the Post-Gazette's brief, informal survey, players didn't have too many strong opinions where their club ended up.

"It'd be Pittsburgh, Philly, Baltimore, DC and just do Route 95," Horwitz said. "That's also where I'm from, so I'm a little biased toward that. Or you could go west — you could go Cleveland, Cincinnati and then [maybe] Detroit? Yeah. I guess you could go either way."

With 32 teams, MLB could also switch to four eight-team divisions. Baseball America proposed going to a strictly geography-based approach, with NBA-like Eastern and Western Conferences.

In that model, the Pirates would play in the Northern division against the Braves, Orioles, Reds, Marlins, Phillies, Rays and Nationals.

It would also mean the death of the American and National Leagues as we know them. But should that matter?

"I don't care about American, National League," outfielder Bryan Reynolds said, though he said he hasn't thought much about realignment. "West, East would make sense for travel, longevity of the season. Get a better product maybe."

Baseball would lose some of its tradition, but there's also no longer any difference between the two leagues now that the National League has a designated hitter.

"I think the National League and American League is kind of cool," Keller said. "I mean, it kind of went away once you take the pitcher [hitting] away in the National League. It kind of just made it two leagues, so what's the difference calling it East and West? I guess that'd be my thought on it."

It'd be another change to a game with a lot of tradition, but Kelly compared that hypothetical change to a few other recent tweaks.

"I've always been a traditionalist, so to speak, and also, looking at the way that [automatic balls and strikes] and the way it worked, I think that there's value in [change] and seeing that come to fruition," Kelly said. "And as we look at the game of baseball, just continuing to have conversations around, 'What is best for the game of baseball?' "

Regardless of what the divisions end up being, some players expressed a desire for more divisional play. While they hope interleague play continues, some veterans miss when teams played divisional opponents more than 12 times.

Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was one of them. He enjoyed the strategy of facing pitchers multiple times throughout the season and hopes realignment brings some of that back.

"I miss that part of the game where it's a cat-and-mouse game of facing the teams in your division multiple times and kind of being in control of if you win the division or not," Kiner-Falefa said. " ... If the new schedule or the new alignment was to help that, that'd be a big plus for me."

Moving to 32 teams means two new cities will get MLB teams. Players had ideas on where those teams should play.

"Cedar Rapids, Iowa," Keller said.

"Living in Charlotte, seems like they need more baseball down there," Horwitz said.

Currently, the top four rumored options — no disrespect for Keller's hometown, but there's little buzz there — are Charlotte or Raleigh, N.C.; Salt Lake City; Portland, Ore.; and Nashville, Tenn.

Tennessee native Reynolds thinks the latter should have a team.

"It should be in Nashville," Reynolds said. “That should be the No. 1. That should be a lock, and the rest of them should be fighting for the one other team."

Where expansion teams are located could change realignment strategies. A Western option like Portland or Salt Lake City could be looped in with Seattle, minimizing Pacific Northwest travel. A Nashville or Charlotte team could join the Braves in the Southeast.

There could also be moves or bids from other cities. Keller's heard stories about Montreal and the brief success the Expos had. Orlando, Fla., and Austin, Texas, could also be options.

It's something that's fun to think about.

"In thinking about baseball and where it goes, it's always exciting to think about those things," Kelly said. " ... I think the game's headed in a great direction. As far as expansion, realignment, whatever that means, just excited about what the future holds for the game."

But, of course, that doesn't mean everyone has an opinion.

"I could care less," a laughing Andrew McCutchen said. "I ain't gonna be here by the time that comes."