In 1997, the Royals franchise had the opportunity to switch to the National League and play in the NL Central alongside its intrastate rival St. Louis Cardinals. The opportunity arose because Major League Baseball was planning to realign the divisions in preparation for expansion with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Bud Selig, baseball's acting commissioner and Milwaukee Brewers owner, gave the Royals the first option to change to the National League. That summer, the Royals were mired in the team's worst season since its second year of existence. Further, following Ewing Kauffman death, the franchise was being run by a board of directors and was up for sale. Ultimately, the board declined the move, and Milwaukee switched leagues instead.