MLB schedule to have major impact on Oakland A's

The new Major League Baseball scheduling template will have every team face off at least once. That is going to make a major impact upon the Oakland A's.

The A's traveled 42,918 miles in the air during the 2022 season. As noted by Joe Doyle from Prospects Live, that is set to increase by 8609 miles this year, leaving the A's to travel a whopping 51,527 miles this upcoming season.

Oakland A's set to earn plenty of frequent flyer miles in 2023

That air travel could prove to be a factor in 2023. Not only will the A's have the most air miles of any team in the majors, but they will be the only major league franchise to go over 50,000 miles. Their 8609 mile increase is the third most of any team, and they will nearly 2500 more miles in the air than the second highest team, the Seattle Mariners.

Travel is going to have an impact on major league teams. Teams playing long extra inning games ahead of an extended travel time for a game the next day are always going to be at a disadvantage. The Mariners, by virtue of being the only team in the Pacific Northwest, typically had the longest travel of any team, something that could make an impact upon their performance during the season.

Such is the case with the A's. No one is expecting them to compete for a playoff berth. Even getting to .500 would be a miracle, especially given their talent level and the division they are a part of. A case could be made for any of the other four teams in the division to not just reach the postseason, but to contend for the AL West title. The A's? Well, as much as the schedule does not help, it is not going to be the deciding factor.

The Oakland A's are going to have the most travel time of any major league team in 2023. They are currently looking at 51,000 miles in the air.