For those who can read The Athletic (it's behind a paywall), here's a link to an interesting article about the effects of MLB's new "balanced" schedule. It's by Jayson Stark, so it exhaustively walks through changes in strength of schedule, travel miles, etc.
https://theathletic.com/415092...3-changes-questions/
A few highlights (or lowlights, depending on your point of view):
"The Yankees will play as many games in April against the Twins (six) as the AL East. And the Giants, Phillies and Padres will all visit Yankee Stadium before the Red Sox first stop by on June 9.
The Phillies will play more series against the American League in April (five) than they’ll play games against the NL East (three). And they won’t play a home game against the Mets or Braves until June 20!"
There are some oddities, but I think the changes make sense for a world with additional wild cards. Teams in weak divisions still get a break, but it's not as significant as it used to be. The Rays and Orioles certainly ought to be pleased.
--Pitchers and catchers report on February 13.--