Two realignment scenarios that could help the Padres, and two that could hurt them

Rob Manfred's comment last week indicated that MLB expansion is likely happening. In the event of expansion, realignment would also be necessary to balance the divisions. Here are two scenarios that could help the Friars, and two that could hurt them.

Help: Padres split from Dodgers

It's a pipe dream, but if the Padres wound up in a different division than their rival Los Angeles Dodgers, it would be a massive benefit for San Diego. It would drastically increase their odds of winning the division and reaching the postseason each year. It's hard to imagine how the divisions would look for this to occur, however. Perhaps San Diego could join a Southwest division with teams such as the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Rockies and Athletics (once they move to Las Vegas).

Hurt: Rockies leave NL West, everything else stays the same

This was Jim Bowden's proposal. The NL West would remain intact, aside from the Rockies, who would be joining a new division with the Royals, Rangers and Astros called the AL South.

Losing Colorado would remove 7-8 winnable games against the Rockies every year, and replace it with 2-3 extra games each year against Los Angeles, Arizona, and San Francisco. Most years, that probably hurts the Padres. Colorado usually gives out free wins.

While having one less team in the division might increase the Padres' odds to win the division just slightly, they would have a lower chance at the Wild Card because of the more difficult schedule.

Help: MLB takes NBA's route, axes divisions

There's a possibility the MLB could go the NBA route and axe divisions entirely. In this scenario, San Diego could end up in a 16-team league with the rest of the Western teams. That likely includes some difficult opponents, including the Dodgers, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Astros. But it also comes with more weak opponents, including the Angels, Athletics, Royals, Twins, and White Sox.

San Diego would not have to worry about beating the Dodgers for a division title in this scenario. All they would need to worry about is being in the top six (or potentially, top eight), and that feels like a manageable task.

Hurt: Mariners join potential Pacific Coast division

It's hard to know just how likely any of these scenarios really are, but if the Mariners were to join a potential Pacific Coast division, the Padres' schedule would get tougher. One possibility could group Seattle with San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, which would be a gauntlet of a division.

After losing the inaugural Vedder Cup to the Mariners, a team that usually tends to play well against the Padres, San Diego should hope realignment does not send Seattle into their division.