I know expansion and realignment wasn't discussed but it needs to happen by the end of the new 20s.
MLB's current broadcast deals run through 2028.
They could possibly time expansion - and ideally, my proposed realignment - to coincide with the start of the new TV deals in 2029.
The playoffs would expand to 16 teams permanently - the top 4 teams from each of the four leagues - at that point.
The new TV deals that would start in 2029 would ideally run for 12 seasons through 2040, with all subsequent deals being 12 seasons long too.
Here is a breakdown on when each platform would televise games during the regular season.
Sunday afternoon: ABC (starting third week of May), a national game
Sunday night: ESPN
Monday night: Apple TV+
Tuesday night: TBS*
Wednesday night: Peacock*
Thursday night: MLB Network
Friday night: Paramount Network (produced by CBS Sports)*
Saturday afternoon: Fox Sports 1*
Saturday night: Fox, 4 regional games
* - indicates doubleheader (except for FS1 in September, single games that month due to college football coverage)
Games on pay TV platforms except Apple TV+ and ESPN are non-exclusive and blacked out in the territories of the participating teams. The other two are exclusive.
The playoff TV rotation for the first two rounds would be this
2029/33/37: AL on FS1, NL on TBS, CL on ESPN, PCL on PN
2030/34/38: AL on TBS, NL on FS1, CL on PN, PCL on ESPN
2031/35/39: AL on ESPN, NL on PN, CL on FS1, PCL on TBS
2032/36/40: AL on PN, NL on ESPN, CL on TBS, PCL on FS1
All first round (now best-of-3 LDS, first game at lower seed) games would be played at 1 or 7 PM local time, time in ET depends on where the game is played.
Second round (now best-of-5 LCS) games are played at 1, 4, 7 and/or 10 PM ET, PCL can't play at 1 PM, and only PCL can play at 10 PM
The best-of-seven National Semifinal Series, which seeds the pennant winners 1-4 based on regular season record, would air on FS1 and PN in Odd years and ESPN and TBS in even years. Each network can move a game 7 to a sister broadcast network: FS1 to Fox, PN to CBS, ESPN to ABC, and TBS to The CW.
Early round playoff games on weekdays to which FS1 has the rights can be moved to Fox if played in the afternoon, night games remain on FS1 to protect Fox's primetime lineup. ABC on the other hand will usually not air any pre-WS playoff games, as ABC usually has daytime programming 7 days a week. Fox itself would not air any Saturday afternoon playoff games before 4 PM ET, to protect Big Noon Saturday.
ABC would air the World Series in odd years and Fox in even years. The inverse would be true for the All-Star Game.
ESPN can also move broadcasts of early round playoff games to FX or FXX based on its other sports commitments, like college football on Saturdays.