Rob Manfred discussed several topics at a spring training news conference last week, including expansion. The MLB commissioner said he would like to have the process to move to 32 teams “in place” by the time his tenure as commissioner ends in early 2029. Here are the two cities that I think the MLB should select.
Nashville, Tennessee
How many cities are as up-and-coming as Nashville? I’ve personally never been there, but from music to sports, to just overall culture, it seems like a cool place. Bringing baseball to the city isn’t an idea without traction behind it either.
The Music City Baseball Group has been working to bring an MLB franchise to the city since 2019, including developing stadium plans. The potential ownership group includes: Dave Stewart, Dr. Amish Purohit, strategist John Loar, former Navy Officer Lee Barfield, former Tennessee Titan Eddie George, Justin Timberlake, Vanderbilt Baseball head coach Tim Corbin, and former U.S. attorney Alberto Gonzales. The group has decided on the Nashville Stars as a team name, a salute to the Negro League franchise that played in the city in 1942 and again from 1950-1951.
Nashville is a great fit for multiple reasons. The Music City Baseball Group has solid plans in place to make this plan happen, and I’d have a hard time imagining money being an issue for that high profile of a group. The Predators also ranked 5th among NHL teams in attendance for the 2022-23 season (based on percentage of capacity filled) despite having the 18th-best record in the league. The Titans aren’t a top-tier fanbase by any means, but they’re no slouches either. This city would support a baseball team as much if not more than the existing teams there.
The last reason why I think the city would be a good fit is tourism. Around 14 million people visit the Music City every year, which ranks 15th among U.S. cities. Nashville natives would strongly support this team, and tourists would help attendance numbers. Think Golden Knights of the NHL.
Montreal
Have you seen the crowds for the exhibition games the Blue Jays play there? You would think based on attendance and atmosphere that these are playoff games. People there are clearly hungry and ready for the MLB to return. The Expos franchise’s existence wasn’t a perfect operation by any means, but they did have some exciting moments throughout their history. I think the Expos coming back would excite baseball fans.
Toronto and Montreal are about five and a half hours away from each other, so I don’t think Montreal developing fans of their own/bringing back old ones would be an issue. Some people might ask the question, would players want to play there? This also wouldn’t be an issue for two reasons. One, Montreal is a gorgeous city and like Nashville is a popular tourist attraction. Secondly, the MLB has become such a global game, are foreign players really going to have a huge issue with playing in Canada as opposed to the United States? I don’t think so.
The only issue here is backing from the city. Unlike potential expansion cities such as Nashville, Portland, Charlotte and Salt Lake City, they don’t have any type of group advocating for expansion. I’m sure if the league sets its heart on Montreal, this wouldn’t be preventive.
Other cities that have been confirmed to be in the mix: Salt Lake City, Portland, Mexico City, Vancouver, and Charlotte.
Agree? Disagree? Email lservello@www.clermontsun.com