Oh, The Places You’ll Go: How The MLB Plans to Expand
Location, Location, Location
Major League Baseball might expand for the first time since 1998. In that time span, the other three major North American sports have added new teams in markets that sorely needed a professional team. In the NHL, the Seattle Kraken and Las Vegas Golden Knights have sprung up in their prime markets. As big cities continue to grow, the MLB looks to add more fans and revenue to compete with the NFL, NBA, and NHL. The Seattle Mariners do not have a direct geographic rivalry with any teams in the west and a team in Portland, Oregon could potentially bring that vision to life. The great state of Tennessee does not have a professional baseball team despite having two decent sized markets in Nashville and Memphis. Canadian fans have dearly missed their Montreal Expos and putting a team there would reignite their competitive flame with the Blue Jays. The answer to the expansion question is not quite simple, however.
Starting with the western part of the United States, Portland, Oregon makes sense as a possible destination for a new team. Our country’s forefathers believed in westward expansion and developing new territories, so there is no downside in the MLB staking yet another claim to the northwest. The city is fiercely loyal and passionate when it comes to their Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, and Portland Timbers and adding another team provides that aforementioned rivalry with the Mariners. It would spark more competition between the two cities that once enjoyed the Trail Blazers - SuperSonics “I-5 Rivalry”. If nothing else, the potential for Portland would help the MLB fill out the geographic map with another team in the northwest. California has five teams of its own, spreading the west very thin. There is oversaturation in every key area, with teams littering the northeast, Midwest, south, southwest, and west coast, so it would be beneficial to fill the void with a passionate sports town aching for baseball to please their palate.
Despite the Midwest having a litany of teams like the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and many others, the southern portion of the region does not have an MLB team. Tennessee is another prime location to field a new team. Both Nashville and Memphis have roots in professional baseball, with the Nashville Sounds being a Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Memphis Red Sox being a staple of the old Negro leagues. Both the cities and the state have a rich history of sports, food, and music and are a hub of entertainment that can drive in revenue for the league if chosen for expansion. The Titans and Predators have a loyal following in the state, with both teams being constant playoff contenders. Putting a team in either city would serve the game well.
Last but not least, there is not much that needs to be said when discussing an expansion into Canada. The beloved Montreal Expos saw many great players and teams in their time in the league. The likes of famed catcher Gary Carter, outfielders such as “The Hawk” Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Larry Walker, and Vladimir Guerrero, and Hall of Fame pitchers Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson all worn Expos caps at one point or another. If it were not for the 1994 strike, in which the Expos had the best record in baseball at the time, the team would most likely still be in Montreal and not be relocated and renamed as the Washington Nationals. They also shared a friendly “rivalry” with the Toronto Blue Jays, playing exhibition games in annual series matchups known as the Pearson Cup. If there was ever a chance for expansion, Montreal should be at the top of the list.
The more the Better
Wherever the MLB decides to expand, more baseball in more cities is always a welcome sight. America’s pastime needs new blood pumped into it after being on a perceived decline for more than 20 years. There are financial hurdles to get over for any kind of new additions to the league, especially stadium costs and tax concerns, but surely the league and cooperating cities can make it a seamless transaction. To keep people happy, it is best to give them what they want and one look on the sports side of social media will prove that baseball fans in non-baseball cities want the game brought to them. The expansion plans are only in the rumor stages as of now, but the time and opportunities have never been riper. It’s time for these cities to make their best pitch in more ways than one.