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Expansion in MLB

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Steve_424

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It was mentioned in the Trade Deadline thread and I'm interested in discussing further how MLB might look once they inevitably expand once again.

First, some possible expansion cities: Montreal, Portland, Charlotte, Mexico City, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and Nashville, to name a few. I'll go with Montreal and Portland for fun.

My Proposal:

AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
AL Central: Indians, White Sox, Tigers, Twins
AL South: Rays, Rangers, Marlins, Royals
AL West: Angels, A's, Mariners, Portland

NL East: Mets, Phillies, Pirates, Expos
NL Central: Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, Reds
NL South: Braves, Nationals, Astros, Rockies
NL West: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks
 
The Braves will never let Charlotte or Nashville get a team.
 
As a Middle Tennessee resident, I have a very hard time believing Nashville will be in any serious running for an MLB team. The Sounds just got a new ballpark three years ago and the Braves have a very good hold on the market here. Plus with the MLS coming to Nashville, I don't think the city could support 4 major pro sports franchises.
 
Manfred said last year they're holding off expansion until Oakland and Tampa get new stadiums. If that's true then they're never going to expand.
 
Portland would be cool.. So would Oklahoma City
 
Manfred said last year they're holding off expansion until Oakland and Tampa get new stadiums. If that's true then they're never going to expand.

Might be posturing, might also be looking at two franchises soon to be relocated.
 
Manfred said last year they're holding off expansion until Oakland and Tampa get new stadiums. If that's true then they're never going to expand.
I just can’t see Oakland, Miami, Tampa holding on...

The Marlins thought all of the following would work:

  • New stadium would work (stadium is trash btw)
  • Free agency splash would work (It did not)
  • New colors, logo and uniforms would work!! —-Oh yea that’s right !! Baseball is tradition based. Teal and Black are the Marlins no matter what and not orange/yellow/sky blue—Even the Rockies learned that you stay with your colors and tradition — and the Diamondbacks and Rays are learning that the fans prefer their original colors and outrageous uniforms and logos in contrast to these as well (which is why they have more retro nights than most)
The Rays getting a new stadium is laughable... Just like the Marlins...

At this point I’d keep the Marlins just cause they’re apart of baseball tradition and have 2 championships and change their logo and uniforms back to the teal and black pinstripes — forget getting the Rays a new stadium and just move them somewhere else and start over...
 
I know Austin, TX has been desperately trying to get a professional team in any sport. Could also see San Antonio make a push, as those are two of the top-11 biggest cities (by population) in the country.

Just for fun, here's the top-30:
  1. New York, New York - Yankees & Mets
  2. Los Angeles, California - Angels & Dodgers
  3. Chicago, Illinois - Cubs & White Sox
  4. Houston, Texas - Astros
  5. Phoenix, Arizona - Diamondbacks
  6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Phillies
  7. San Antonio, Texas - San Antonio Missions (Double-A, Padres)
  8. San Diego, California - Padres
  9. Dallas, Texas - Rangers (Dallas-FW metro area)
  10. San Jose, California - San Jose Giants (Class-A Adv., Giants)
  11. Austin, Texas - Round Rock Express (Triple-A, Rangers)
  12. Jacksonville, Florida - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Double-A, Marlins)
  13. San Francisco, California - Giants
  14. Columbus, Ohio - Columbus Clippers (Triple-A, Indians)
  15. Indianapolis, Indiana - Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A, Pirates)
  16. Fort Worth, Texas - Rangers (Dallas-FW metro area)
  17. Charlotte, North Carolina - Charlotte Knights (Triple-A, White Sox)
  18. Seattle, Washington - Mariners
  19. Denver, Colorado - Rockies
  20. El Paso, Texas - El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A, Padres)
  21. Washington D.C. - Nationals
  22. Boston, Massachusetts - Red Sox
  23. Detroit, Michigan - Tigers
  24. Nashville, Tennessee - Nashville Sound (Triple-A, A's)
  25. Memphis, Tennessee - Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, Cardinals)
  26. Portland, Oregon - Hillsboro Hops, (Class-A short season, D'Backs)
  27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A, Dodgers)
  28. Las Vegas, Nevada - Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A, Mets)
  29. Louisville, Kentucky - Louisville Bats (Triple-A, Reds)
  30. Baltimore, Maryland - Orioles
Other cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, etc. fall out outside of the top-30, obviously.

Of these top-30, we can safely eliminate the following (in my opinion):
- Columbus (Indians/Reds divide the state and they already have a Triple-A team)
- San Jose (California has enough teams)
- Jacksonville (Florida baseball fans are horrible [see Marlins & Rays])
- Charlotte (can't see there being enough of a draw)
- El Paso (better options in Texas and they already have a Triple-A team)

Of the rest:
- I think Louisville, Memphis, and Nashville are all interesting options for an MLB team, but if an expansion were to happen, only one of these cities should get one. Louisville has an interesting history with baseball obviously with the Louisville Sluggers and the Louisville Cardinals college team is a great draw. They'd be my pick of the group.
- Next up would be San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Like above, if an expansion were to happen, I don't think both really need a team. I'd probably give one to San Antonio since Austin is right in the middle of the triangle of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
- Indianapolis would be another interesting midwest option. They already have the Pacers and Colts, and I think Indy's fans are good enough to deserve an actual big league club so that they don't have to root for the Tigers, Reds, or Chicago teams.
- Portland is another city that I think would be a great MLB option. Their fans are rabid for the Blazers and they don't even have a major minor league affiliate. The fit is almost perfect and would give the Mariners a bit of a neighbor.
- Las Vegas and Oklahoma City are both interesting, but I'm not really sure either of them need a baseball team. OKC neighbors Texas and their 9000 teams and Vegas just added their first major-4 sports club in the Knights. Their fans have been great, but I think an NBA team in Las Vegas would be a more logical choice.

Outside of the country, I think Mexico City and Montreal both make the most sense, along with potentially looking at Vancouver. Honestly, there's a bunch of interesting cities in Canada that could host an MLB club as long as they built a dome. Toronto is a great sports town, but I'd make sure to get the Expos back before anybody else got anything.

If we went big time and added a decent amount of teams, I think I'd go:
- Montreal
- Mexico City
- Louisville
- Indianapolis
- Portland
- San Antonio

I'm awful at putting divisions together, so I won't do that.

Would rather see the Rays moved first before any of this happens.
 
As someone who lived in Austin, I think it would be a bad place to put a major professional team.

-Major transplant city that is nuts about UT football; any professional team will be a distant 2nd place just like Columbus and Ohio State.

-An Austin NFL team will always be the 3rd highest draw in the city behind UT football and the Cowboys. There are 3 NBA teams in the state already with the Spurs being 1 hr 30 min south. 2 MLB teams in the state already.

-Austin is already a nightmare to navigate and there isn't really an obvious location for a new stadium.
 
I know Austin, TX has been desperately trying to get a professional team in any sport. Could also see San Antonio make a push, as those are two of the top-11 biggest cities (by population) in the country.

Just for fun, here's the top-30:
  1. New York, New York - Yankees & Mets
  2. Los Angeles, California - Angels & Dodgers
  3. Chicago, Illinois - Cubs & White Sox
  4. Houston, Texas - Astros
  5. Phoenix, Arizona - Diamondbacks
  6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Phillies
  7. San Antonio, Texas - San Antonio Missions (Double-A, Padres)
  8. San Diego, California - Padres
  9. Dallas, Texas - Rangers (Dallas-FW metro area)
  10. San Jose, California - San Jose Giants (Class-A Adv., Giants)
  11. Austin, Texas - Round Rock Express (Triple-A, Rangers)
  12. Jacksonville, Florida - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Double-A, Marlins)
  13. San Francisco, California - Giants
  14. Columbus, Ohio - Columbus Clippers (Triple-A, Indians)
  15. Indianapolis, Indiana - Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A, Pirates)
  16. Fort Worth, Texas - Rangers (Dallas-FW metro area)
  17. Charlotte, North Carolina - Charlotte Knights (Triple-A, White Sox)
  18. Seattle, Washington - Mariners
  19. Denver, Colorado - Rockies
  20. El Paso, Texas - El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A, Padres)
  21. Washington D.C. - Nationals
  22. Boston, Massachusetts - Red Sox
  23. Detroit, Michigan - Tigers
  24. Nashville, Tennessee - Nashville Sound (Triple-A, A's)
  25. Memphis, Tennessee - Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, Cardinals)
  26. Portland, Oregon - Hillsboro Hops, (Class-A short season, D'Backs)
  27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A, Dodgers)
  28. Las Vegas, Nevada - Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A, Mets)
  29. Louisville, Kentucky - Louisville Bats (Triple-A, Reds)
  30. Baltimore, Maryland - Orioles
Other cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, etc. fall out outside of the top-30, obviously.

Of these top-30, we can safely eliminate the following (in my opinion):
- Columbus (Indians/Reds divide the state and they already have a Triple-A team)
- San Jose (California has enough teams)
- Jacksonville (Florida baseball fans are horrible [see Marlins & Rays])
- Charlotte (can't see there being enough of a draw)
- El Paso (better options in Texas and they already have a Triple-A team)

Of the rest:
- I think Louisville, Memphis, and Nashville are all interesting options for an MLB team, but if an expansion were to happen, only one of these cities should get one. Louisville has an interesting history with baseball obviously with the Louisville Sluggers and the Louisville Cardinals college team is a great draw. They'd be my pick of the group.
- Next up would be San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Like above, if an expansion were to happen, I don't think both really need a team. I'd probably give one to San Antonio since Austin is right in the middle of the triangle of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
- Indianapolis would be another interesting midwest option. They already have the Pacers and Colts, and I think Indy's fans are good enough to deserve an actual big league club so that they don't have to root for the Tigers, Reds, or Chicago teams.
- Portland is another city that I think would be a great MLB option. Their fans are rabid for the Blazers and they don't even have a major minor league affiliate. The fit is almost perfect and would give the Mariners a bit of a neighbor.
- Las Vegas and Oklahoma City are both interesting, but I'm not really sure either of them need a baseball team. OKC neighbors Texas and their 9000 teams and Vegas just added their first major-4 sports club in the Knights. Their fans have been great, but I think an NBA team in Las Vegas would be a more logical choice.

Outside of the country, I think Mexico City and Montreal both make the most sense, along with potentially looking at Vancouver. Honestly, there's a bunch of interesting cities in Canada that could host an MLB club as long as they built a dome. Toronto is a great sports town, but I'd make sure to get the Expos back before anybody else got anything.

If we went big time and added a decent amount of teams, I think I'd go:
- Montreal
- Mexico City
- Louisville
- Indianapolis
- Portland
- San Antonio

I'm awful at putting divisions together, so I won't do that.

Would rather see the Rays moved first before any of this happens.
Interesting that Portland popped up. They don't really have a minor league team other than a suburban short season team. That actually gives a city an edge as most of these cities just built new minor league ballparks that they're still paying for.

As for the rest:
Montreal: No minor league team. But didn't support their team.
Mexico: No player will want to sign for up for living in a 3rd world country.
Louisville and Indy: just built modern minor league downtown ballparks recently


San Antonio: Doesn't have a new stadium and could be holding out for a major league team.
 
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Somewhere near Charlotte would be nice, not having baseball to go see is gonna suck.
 
Somewhere near Charlotte would be nice, not having baseball to go see is gonna suck.
They have a minor league team in the city. But yeah, not the same
 
They have a minor league team in the city. But yeah, not the same

Yeah, I'll probably check it out, but some MLB action would be tight.
 

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