The last MLB expansion occurred in 1998 when the league added the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays to bring the total amount of teams to 30.
While Arizona has steadily established itself as a viable MLB club, Tampa Bay’s 23-year history has been more of a rollercoaster ride, including a far-fetched plan to split the Rays’ season between Florida and Canada.. MLB attendance was down 1.62% for 2019, following a 4% dip for the 2018 season. While data from the 2020 season is not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic, baseball attendance is down over 7% since 2015.. How does the league plan to remedy the waning interest of professional baseball among sports fans? Add more teams of course. Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken briefly about adding more teams but has not given a definitive timetable.. When the time does come, however, what cities would be the ideal landing spot for the next MLB expansion? Here’s what we think.
Portland, Oregon
The city of Portland is the 25th-most populated region in America. While the city is home to just one big-four professional sports organizations — the Portland Trail Blazers — the love it has for its soccer teams is unrivaled.
The Portland Timbers of the MLS have an impressive sellout streak and the Portland Thorns of the NWSL set a league single-game attendance record in 2019.. Last summer, Oregonlive.com published an article claiming that Portland’s Lloyd Center would be a perfect location for a potential baseball stadium.. Currently, the closest the city has to a professional baseball team is the Hillsboro Hops, a Class A-Short Season affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville’s current population sits around 700,00, with at least 30,000 people moving to the country music capital since 2016. Families are relocating to the area to make it their permanent home.
The city is home to the Predators and the Titans of the NHL and NBA respectively. Nashville’s hockey team averaged 17,407 fans per game (101.7%) while the Titan’s filled up over 93% of Nissan Stadium’s 69,143 seating capacity before COVID-19 arrived.. Nashville is also home to the Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate for the Texas Rangers. They averaged the third-highest attendance in all of Minor League Baseball, including 23 sellouts, according to MiLB.com.
Las Vegas, Nevada
With the Oakland Raiders packing up and relocating to Sin City and the NHL’s newest franchise the Golden Knights reaching the Stanley Cup in their first year, Las Vegas is the perfect landing spot for a new MLB expansion team.
Seeing as sports provides the city with millions of dollars each year, it’s only a matter of time before all four major sports leagues establish a franchise among the bright lights.. In fact, Commissioner Manfred has been quoted saying Las Vegas is a potential landing spot for the next MLB expansion. Since betting on baseball games is exciting, not to mention lucrative, the gambling capital of the United States is a perfect location.. The city is also the home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the Oakland Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate. The team’s stadium, Las Vegas Ballpark, was awarded Ballpark of the Year in 2019 by BaseballParks.com. Sin City is primed for professional baseball.