keyboard_arrow_uptop
Image credit: © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, MLB owners approved the Oakland Athletics’ move to Las Vegas, bringing a painful and infuriating end to one era in baseball history and (more quietly, but no less meaningfully) kickstarting another. That move, should it finally take place, will cost the league one of its long-time stalking horses, but it will also mark the resolution of the last major stadium question that might require relocation any time soon. That means that, very soon, we’re going to be talking expansion.

This isn’t news. Manfred hasn’t been shy about professing his desire to expand the league to 32 teams ever since taking over as commissioner. Even if he had said nothing, we’d be talking about that, because it’s now been more than 25 years since the last round of expansion—a decade longer than the league had previously gone without growing since first doing so in 1961. We’re overdue for some new blood.

We’ve already heard from all the main suitors for new MLB outfits. Portland and Nashville have been preparing for this forever. A couple of proposals aimed at bringing MLB to North Carolina have made the rounds in the last year or two. Now, there’s even some growing momentum for a bid from Salt Lake City. Less plausible (but perhaps more viable, in the long run) are notions of restoring MLB to Montreal or even replacing the departing Athletics with a new franchise in the Bay Area—albeit one that would instantly face the same conflicts and constraints as the A’s did, especially in the form of territorial battles with the Giants.

Full access to this article is for Premium Baseball Prospectus subscribers.

Sign up today to get access to insightful analysis for the discerning baseball fan.

Super-Premium - $66.99 / yearPremium - $45.95 / yearPremium Monthly - $6.99 / month
You need to be logged in to comment. Login or Subscribe

Comments are closed.