Craig, Delaware: I was wondering if you think the Phillies are going to make any moves. They're right in the playoff hunt and underachieving. Will they get a starter?

Rob Neyer: (10:48 PM ET ) I'll be shocked if they don't make a big move or two. They were supposed to win, and they've got the new ballpark. The Phils obviously could use a starter, but why not get in the Beltran sweepstakes, too? I mean, I like Doug Glanville as much as the next guy, but there's this little problem with his "hitting"...

There were many different scenarios under which Major League Baseball might have grown and captured all its new markets over the past 50 years. I suggest that without the application of franchise relocation, in any but the most dire circumstances, the past half-century of MLB would have been an entirely more acceptable and enjoyable enterprise for everyone involved (except for the few greedy soulless millionaires who actually profited, hugely, from what actually transpired -- and, most assuredly, none of us should care a whit about their selfish concerns).

I'd like to present a scenario which, while admittedly is best-case and in many ways fanciful, offers an alternative in which:

- All existing MLB markets (and then some) are served
- There was only one franchise relocation

Let's give this virtual history a whirl...