New divisions in proposed MLB realignment make no sense for the Chicago White Sox

With Rob Manfred's recent comments at the Little League Classic, talk of Major League Baseball expansion and realignment is taking center stage.

With an expansion to 32 teams, baseball might look to remove the American League and National League, replacing them with news divisions based on geography. Divisions would be comprised of teams in a specific region, with everyone vying for the Western Conference or Eastern Conference title.

For the Chicago White Sox, that could mean playing in the same division as the crosstown rival Cubs. That would take the Chicago rivalry to new heights.

Everyone is trying their hand at a new configuration of divisions. Nobody knows exactly what it's going to look like. That being said, some recently proposed MLB division breakdowns make absolutely no sense for the White Sox.

The White Sox being in the "NL Midwest" makes no sense

FOX Sports released a graphic with a potential division breakdown. In their thought experiment, Portland and Charlotte were the cities selected for new expansion teams.

FOX had the White Sox as members of the "NL Midwest" division alongside the Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals.

I've got issues with that breakdown for a number of reasons.

For starters, the White Sox have been one of the charter franchises of the American League since they were known as the Chicago White Stockings. If MLB is going to continue separating teams by "AL" and "NL," the White Sox should not be one of the teams to change alignment.

Additionally, I hate the idea of the White Sox being grouped in with three "former" NL Central clubs. It makes sense to mix members of the AL and NL central into the same leagues in order to preserve some existing rivalries.

The Sox have developed pretty intense rivalries with the Guardians and Twins in recent years. Even the Royals have given the White Sox nightmares recently. It makes no sense to lose all of those rivalries in the division for...the Reds?

A division of White Sox, Royals, Cardinals, and Cubs is cleaner geographically while preserving some of the rivalries of old.

No matter how Major League Baseball splits it up, people won't be happy, as is the case with any significant change to professional sports. But if the White Sox are going to change divisions, the league needs to at least attempt to keep some of the classic matchups in play.