The Tampa Bay Rays are finalizing plans for a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, a positive development for Florida baseball fans.
Indirectly, this could lead to big results for baseball in new markets.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has repeatedly expressed interest in increasing the tour’s structure to 32 teams. To move forward with this project, which would be the first expansion since 1998, the current 30 markets needed a suitable stadium.
The Rays’ proposed 30,000-seat stadium is part of a $6.5 billion development project that includes public housing, retail, bars, restaurants and a Black History museum. The Oakland A’s have been searching for a new solution for years, but appear to be on the verge of moving to Las Vegas, a project that has yet to receive MLB approval.
If we assume that these two franchises get the green light to build their new stadiums and that baseball goes from 30 to 32 clubs, it will still be some time before these teams set foot on the MLB diamonds.
Here’s a little bit of what this could all look like.
On the way to 32
It’s been 25 years since Major Baseball expanded its staff, since the arrival of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the 1998 season, their 29th season.It is and 30It is MLB Teams.
In the first 60 years of the 20th centuryIt is In the 19th century, the Majors – excluding the Negro Leagues or the Federal League – were made up of 16 teams. The American League decided to add two teams in 1961. The Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins and a new franchise in Washington kept the same name. The Los Angeles Angels were also added.
The National League did the same in 1962, adding the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s.
Major Baseball grew to 24 teams by 1969: the Seattle Pilots and Kansas City Royals in the American, as well as the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres in the National. The Pilots only lasted one season – immortalized in the book Ball Fourby Jim Bouton – and moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season.
In 1977, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays increased the number of clubs to 26. It took the Nationals 16 years to grow to 14 teams. In 1993, the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins became the 27thIt is and 28It is Core teams.
Possible timeline
Even if MLB decides to expand quickly, new teams likely won’t be able to play until the 2028 season.
For reference, the move to 30 teams began with the formation of an expansion committee in March 1994. Five groups made presentations to members of this committee in November of the same year: Orlando, Phoenix, St. Petersburg, and two groups from Northern Virginia.
Three years later, these clubs joined the circuit, ending a four-year cycle.
Potential cities
The four main candidates for expansion appear to be, in order, Charlotte (North Carolina), Nashville (Tennessee), Portland (Oregon) and Montreal.
The American South is experiencing population growth and appears ripe for another team, although it is doubtful that Charlotte and Nashville could be selected. Portland would increase MLB’s influence in the northwestern United States.
Montreal – which had the Expos from 1969 to 2004, when they became the Washington Nationals – was a popular stop for major leaguers during the season until their acrimonious move to the US capital. Fans have been clamoring for a team to return almost since the moment it left.
Other cities may be added and we can assume that MLB will listen to all proposals. Salt Lake City (Utah) and Austin (Texas) were notably mentioned.
How much will it cost ?
One thing seems certain: a new franchise will be an expensive investment.
Manfred said that in 2021 expansion fees could reach $2.2 billion per team, the average cost of an MLB franchise according to Sportico’s assessment.
In comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights paid 500 million to join the NHL in 2016, the Seattle Kraken paid 650 million a few years later.
The NBA has not expanded since 2004, when the Charlotte Bobcats paid $300 million to join. The last NFL expansion dates back to 2002: the Houston Texans then spent 700 million.
The Diamondbacks and Rays paid $130 million to join MLB in 1998, compared to $95 million for the Rockies and Marlins in 1993. In 1977, the Blue Jays paid $7 million, compared to $6 .5 million to the Mariners.
To these quotas it will be necessary to add the construction of a stadium. If expansion costs were likely to be paid by private investors, the stadium could require more than a billion dollars in public funds.
Associated Press reporter Ronald Blum contributed to this article.
