MLB Looking to Expand to 32 Teams

Sports 
Karsten Maurer ‘29 
maurerkka05@lakeforest.edu 
Staff Writer

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has made it known that after the Collective Bargaining Agreement situation is sorted out, his next goal is to expand the league from 30 teams to 32, marking an end to the longest period in MLB history without an expansion team. These are the suggested cities so far: Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Orlando, Florida.

Salt Lake City has emerged as a frontrunner, expressing by far the most interest of any city. This isn’t their first time being in the news when it comes to baseball, being the possible landing spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks if a renovated stadium deal couldn’t be reached with the city of Phoenix. Salt Lake City has been very vocal recently about gaining new sports teams, taking the Coyotes and talking about a possible NFL team as well.

Portland would be Salt Lake City’s biggest competitor in this race, having a slightly bigger media market. The group in charge of a possible Portland expansion team, the Portland Diamond Project, has already secured funding for a stadium, as well as a site: right on the banks of the Willamette River. The only thing they lack that puts Salt Lake City ahead is an anchor investor that could really get this project off the ground.

Nashville has long been a favorite of MLB as the host of a team, but they haven’t nailed down a site, funding, or an owner. The city of Nashville hasn’t been too keen on providing funding for a stadium either, with Mayor Freddie O’Connell saying he expects a fully privately funded stadium, and the frontrunner of the gubernatorial race, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, doesn’t have baseball among her list of priorities. If Nashville can secure an owner by the 2029 deadline, they could emerge as the East Coast frontrunner, but for now, there are too many questions in the air to seriously consider their bid.

Raleigh may not have quite the big city draw of others on this list; however, it has quickly emerged as a dark horse in the expansion race. It is one of the only ones with a billionaire firmly attached to it, with Portland Trailblazers and Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon pledging his support. They also boast three top-50 markets: Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro, all with fans desperate to support a home team. The North Carolina State House, while rejecting a $500 million stadium proposal, has left the idea open to future talks.

Montreal, Québec, and Orlando, Florida, have been other cities considered, but there haven’t been any major pushes by any city officials, and there hasn’t been much talk besides a few die-hard fans of the old Montreal Expos and the community or Orlando expressing interest.

While the new teams won’t take the field until realistically 2032, the battle for the two bids remains fierce.