It’s clear that MLB’s priority is to have 32 teams as opposed to the 30 currently existing.
They have been at 30 since 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays joined the league.
Even in the middle of the uncertainty surrounding the Oakland Athletics’ relocation to Las Vegas, Commissioner Rob Manfred is eager to expand when it’s time.
He will be the Commissioner until 2029, but his desire is to finalize plans for expansion before then.
According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, the league reaching 32 teams is seen as inevitable.
“Per @JeffPassan, a two-team MLB expansion is seen as an ‘inevitability’ with Nashville and Salt Lake City seen as potential candidates,” B/R Walk-Off tweeted.
Per @JeffPassan, a two-team MLB expansion is seen as an 'inevitability' with Nashville and Salt Lake City seen as potential candidates pic.twitter.com/dNaCacVkZI
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) February 20, 2024
Nashville and Salt Lake City have concrete plans for an MLB team.
Of course, no expansion was going to occur until the Athletics’ and the Rays’ stadium situations were solved.
But now, the A’s have plans to move to Vegas before 2028, and the Rays have announced the construction of a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.
In Salt Lake City, the expectation for a new baseball team is high.
They recently published a well-funded pitch to build a new ballpark, which is one of the most important things to solve before even thinking about hosting an MLB franchise.
The same can be said about Nashville.
There are other cities that have been mentioned by media and fans as potential homes for an MLB franchise: Portland, Charlotte, New Orleans, Orlando, and more.
However, it now seems like Nashville and Salt Lake City are in pole position.
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