If Major League Baseball were to expand to 32 teams? (money, training, division)
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If we go by that, I would say this. Move the Nationals BACK to Montreal, and move the Marlins to DC.
That wouldn't make any logical sense. The Rays and A's need new stadiums, and their cities aren't working a two-way street with them. The Nationals aren't leaving, and the Marlins have a new stadium.
That wouldn't make any logical sense. The Rays and A's need new stadiums, and their cities aren't working a two-way street with them. The Nationals aren't leaving, and the Marlins have a new stadium.
Then move the Rays to Montreal, and move the A's to Portland or Vancouver.
If I were the king of baseball I would move the two Florida clubs to Portland and Salt Lake. This would be a true expansion because neither franchise would infringe on anyone's fan base. MLB will never be successful in Florida. There are gobs of fans in Florida but most of those who can afford season tickets root for the Chicago and New York teams. Before expanding to 32 clubs, let's put the existing 30 clubs on a sound financial footing.
I can support the move to Portland. However, not to Salt Lake City. If anything, I would recommend on of these cities:
In a perfect world, move the A's to Sacramento. I doubt the league or the A's would consider moving 90 miles north. Sacramento doesnt have a single Fortune 500 company nor the income to support baseball. The city spent millions on the new Kings arena and are trying to lure Major League Soccer.
If I were the king of baseball I would move the two Florida clubs to Portland and Salt Lake. This would be a true expansion because neither franchise would infringe on anyone's fan base. MLB will never be successful in Florida. There are gobs of fans in Florida but most of those who can afford season tickets root for the Chicago and New York teams. Before expanding to 32 clubs, let's put the existing 30 clubs on a sound financial footing.
I love Salt Lake City, however, I'm not sure that at this time the SLC area/population could support a MLB team. The Utah Jazz and especially the beloved Real Salt Lake draw well but 81 home games is a lot of games. I wouldn't shut the door on SLC forever. The population is growing all around SLC (Provo, Orem, Draper, Sandy, West Jordan, Ogden, SLC, etc.). The metro population is currently around 1,150,000. SLC's TV market ranking would have to climb for a team to be viable in the Wastach Mountain Front. The problem isn't whether or not the population would embrace a MLB team. The problem is are there enough customers to support a long season?
Anyway, just imagine a MLB stadium in downtown SLC with the Wastach as a backdrop.
Iowa? No way Des Moines or any city in Iowa is a major league city. Des Moines already has a AAA team, and I would think of Des Moines as a AAA-sized city.
Omaha is right next to Iowa, and the stadium where the college World Series is played every year is basically a major league stadium without an upper deck. Other than the CWS, it sits empty for most of the year. Their minor league team draws pretty well, and that stadium is on the outer edges of the suburbs instead of downtown.
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