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The 5 Best MLB Expansion Teams to Target

mlb expansion teams

MLB expansion hasn’t taken place since MLB expansion teams the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the league in 1998. It makes sense to make the MLB a 32-team league, right?

The Next MLB Expansion Teams?

MLB expansion fees were set at $130 million in 1998 when Arizona and Tampa Bay joined the league. Today’s expansion fees are estimated to exceed $2 billion in addition to the cost of a new stadium. So which five cities are ready for the next MLB expansion teams?

5. Montreal

Since 2005 the Blue Jays have been the only Canadian MLB team. With four million people in the Montreal metro area, Montreal is one of the favorite MLB expansion teams that potential owners are targeting. The only major league sports competition in the city is the Canadiens of the NHL.

Montreal Expos played in the MLB as an expansion franchise from 1969 until relocating to Washington in 2004 primarily because they couldn’t find funding for a new stadium. With such a huge market, and the Red Sox and Blue Jays more than 300 miles away, it’s an enticing MLB expansion opportunity.

Young fans of both teams might also take the opportunity to travel and legally drink and smoke weed. MLB expansion into Montreal continues to heat up following calls to play half of Tampa Bay Ray’s games in Montreal. The “Sister city” proposal was rejected by the MLB but it shows that the stage is set for Montreal as one of the favorite MLB expansion teams.

4. Charlotte

Charlotte is an MLB expansion candidate and is unique as the only American city to have an NFL, NBA and an MLS teams, but no MLB franchise. It’s also one of the fastest growing cities in America which helps it stand out among the other potential MLB expansion teams.

Major League Soccer team Charlotte FC joined the league in 2022. They set MLS attendance records with over 73,000 fans attending their first home match and they continue to hold one of the highest average crowds in the league.

The city’s Minor League Baseball team the Charlotte Knights has one of the strongest minor league average attendances in the country and is in a long term affiliation with the Chicago White Sox.

3. Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a city that had no major league sports team in the city until the Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017. Las Vegas has all the money to make an MLB expansion team happen.

A $4 billion precinct has rocketed the chances of Vegas becoming home to the next NBA expansion team. There are also investors lining up with Vegas as the favorite for the next MLS expansion team.

MLB expansion in Vegas isn’t all just about the money. The Las Vegas Aviators regularly sells-out its home games and were averaging the highest Minor League Baseball attendances before COVID hit.

The success of the Golden Knights, the Oakland Raiders relocation to Vegas and the Aces relocation from San Antonio has transformed Vegas from a destination city, into a sporting city. Even Major League Baseball wants the MLB in Las Vegas. They were reportedly willing to drop the costs of relocation if the Oakland Athletics relocated to the city.

2. Portland

Portland attempted and was close to relocating the Montreal Expos in 2003, and the Florida Marlins in 2007. MLB expansion to Portland is being led by the Portland Diamond Project. Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is helping financially back the movement too.

The Portland metro area is the largest in America that hosts a major league sports franchise without having an MLB team. It’s the 27th most populated city in America and is bigger than Cincinnati, Kansas City and Milwaukee which all have franchises.

Minor League Baseball team the Hillsboro Hops have an affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks and have decent crowds at Ron Tonkin Field with historical average attendances of around 3,500.

Portland’s MLS team the Timbers played their first MLS game in 2011 and have one of the best fan bases in Major League Soccer. Add to that the passion that locals have for the Trail Blazers and it’s safe to say that an MLB expansion team would thrive in the city.

1. Nashville

Nashville is the best of all MLB expansion teams the league should target. MLS team Nashville SC joined as an expansion team in 2020 with great success on the pitch and enormous crowds. One of the most significant reasons MLB expansion in Nashville makes sense is that the nearest Major League Baseball teams are four hours away in Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Minor League Baseball team averages the highest crowds in the country and broke their single-game attendance record with 12,409 people attending First Horizon Park in 2022. Nashville has a bigger market than San Diego, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Cincinnati who all field MLB teams.

The corporate market in the city continues to grow from strength to strength with Oracle and Amazon basing headquarters in Nashville. There were initial plans to build a baseball park adjacent to Nissan Stadium for a likely MLB expansion team. A *potential MLB stadium in North Nashville* looks the more likely scenario.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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14 responses to “The 5 Best MLB Expansion Teams to Target”

  1. Craig Avatar
    Craig

    Charlotte is not the capital of NC.

    Reply
    1. Matt Ieriko Avatar
      Matt Ieriko

      Craig thanks for the call out mate I’ve changed it. That’s what happens when you get an Aussie writing on the US 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jeremy Baker Avatar
    Jeremy Baker

    Wichita Kansas would also be a great spot for a mlb team

    Reply
    1. Matt Ieriko Avatar
      Matt Ieriko

      Good luck! I’m watching and keen to see how the Wichita Wind Surge go

      Reply
    2. Bryan O'Connor Avatar
      Bryan O’Connor

      Wichita is never going to get a MLB team, it’s too small and too close to K.C. and Denver.

      Reply
  3. Mark Halburn Avatar
    Mark Halburn

    Charlotte and Nashville. Move the Rays to New Orleans and the A’s to Honolulu…

    Reply
    1. Bryan O'Connor Avatar
      Bryan O’Connor

      No way a team goes to Honolulu, it’s way too much travel, Honolulu is a 6 hour from San Diego.

      Reply
  4. Edward Teach Avatar
    Edward Teach

    The Carolina Hurricanes are not based in Charlotte. They are 170 miles away in Raleigh.

    Reply
    1. Bryan O'Connor Avatar
      Bryan O’Connor

      Do you think MLB would work in Charlotte though? The Carolina Independent League is HUGE in that area which maybe a good thing but then it could be a bad thing because people may continue to support the CIL and not support the MLB, I’m not say it won’t I’m just curious to get your thought on it because i honestly don;t know but looking in from the outside i’m not sure it will work or not.

      Reply
  5. Bryan O'Connor Avatar
    Bryan O’Connor

    Everyone either forgets about or leaves out Albuquerque New Mexico, Albuquerque has more than 2 million people, more than 3/4 of the cities that already have MLB teams, it’s the fastest growing city and area for that matter in the U.S., The Albuquerque Isotopes, the Rockies Triple A team that’s there is in the top 5 for attendance every year despite having the smallest Triple A stadium, they have literally never not had a sell out, I don’t mean this year or last, I mean EVER….. EVERY home game that has been played has been to a standing room only crowd. and it has no other team even close, Denver is 8 hours to the North, Phoenix is 8 hours to the West, Dallas is 10 hours to East and Kansas City is 12 hours North East, It’s even 8 hours for Oklahoma City so it’s not going to cut into anyone’s existing fan base. Albuquerque would be the best place to expand because it’s nowhere close to anywhere else and it’s a very popular sport in the area. I honestly don’t know if MLB would work in Charlotte, Carolina independant baseball has a HUGE fanbase so it might work and it might not, Nashville wouldn’t work because there’s too many teams close, it’s 4 hours from St. Louis, 3 hours from Cincinnatti plus 2 of the biggest Triple A teams namewise is Louisville and Memphis and they’re real close too, the reason football and soccer works is because there’s no competing teams anywhere close. I think Montreal needs to get another shot. Portland would work well, The A’s are already 99.9999999999999999999% out the door to Las Vegas and I would imagine the Rays are moving to New Orleans. there are a few other cities that could be in the conversation like Indy, which I think could work, San Antonio I don’t think would because they are on the 4th or 5th attempt on keeping a minor league team and Salt Lake City, which I don’t think would work because baseball just isn’t that popular there, it’s more of a football area like San Antonio is and OKC although i’m not sure how big baseball is in Oklahoma.

    Reply
  6. Justin Ford Avatar
    Justin Ford

    What about Indianapolis we have a strong fan base with the Indianapolis Indiana

    Reply
  7. Michael Hohnecker Avatar
    Michael Hohnecker

    Hey idiot, the Portland sea dogs are in Maine.

    Reply
    1. Matt Ieriko Avatar
      Matt Ieriko

      FFS! Wow .. thanks for bringing that to my attention. Changed.

      Reply
  8. christopher R marriott Avatar
    christopher R marriott

    Alot of MLS references haha . I’ll never understand the rapd expansion of MLS in the U.S.. with Lacrosse & hockey being popular sports, 2 fast moving, big hitting, high scoring sports, I don’t get how MLS in Charlotte can attract THAT may ppl for a soccer game!

    Reply

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