Montreal Expos, what's next? UPDATE 3/25 - Stephen Bronfman says “I think we’re close.”

[KevFu]

The 7 000 000 people market in Quebec is not occupied by te Blue Jays, theres no interest. They would loose maybe 100 000 fans, but do not think everybody here cheers for Toronto.

Its the exact same Nordiques situation, where a market is simply not receptive.

We're not talking fan base. We're talking TV. MLB carves up the TV territory and assigns (at least) one team to the every square inch of USA/Canada. Toronto's TV deal is priced by "Our TV region is all of Canada. Your network can sell ads to all of Canada on our programming." And now you're cutting that down, which lowers the value of the deal.

The Jays territory is abnormally large because Montreal left. Montreal is going to happen. But I can't see how MLB is going to add MON/VAN at the same time.

 

[KevFu]

I have heard that the MLB is not thrilled the blue jays own all of Canada. And if Rogers won't play fair, they deserve a boycott.

Yeah, TOR's TV territory is abnormally large. Of course, that's what's helping them compete with NYY/BOS and their megabucks - while BAL/TB struggle in the AL East. A while back, there was a proposal for "floating realignment" where DET/CLE/TB/BAL/TOR would slide back and forth between AL Central and East based on who was competing to win (Central) and who was rebuilding (East). It made total financial sense.

If MLB expands to 32 and does 4-4-4-4 and sets their schedule right, they might be wise to do BOS-TOR-CLE-DET in the "north" and NYY-BAL-TB-MIA (or something) in the South. But that's an entire other debate.


If MLB is expanding for "travel purposes" adding PORT/VAN makes very little sense, because right now you have 8 PTZ/MTZ teams, 8 CTZ teams, 14 ETZ teams. Adding Montreal and Charlotte gives you the best 4x4 boxes in each league. Because PORT/VAN only help the travel for Seattle; maybe OAK and makes it worse for everyone else in baseball.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Yeah, TOR's TV territory is abnormally large. Of course, that's what's helping them compete with NYY/BOS and their megabucks - while BAL/TB struggle in the AL East. A while back, there was a proposal for "floating realignment" where DET/CLE/TB/BAL/TOR would slide back and forth between AL Central and East based on who was competing to win (Central) and who was rebuilding (East). It made total financial sense.

If MLB expands to 32 and does 4-4-4-4 and sets their schedule right, they might be wise to do BOS-TOR-CLE-DET in the "north" and NYY-BAL-TB-MIA (or something) in the South. But that's an entire other debate.


If MLB is expanding for "travel purposes" adding PORT/VAN makes very little sense, because right now you have 8 PTZ/MTZ teams, 8 CTZ teams, 14 ETZ teams. Adding Montreal and Charlotte gives you the best 4x4 boxes in each league. Because PORT/VAN only help the travel for Seattle; maybe OAK and makes it worse for everyone else in baseball.

I agree with this. But look, the majority of history, Montreal was there. The ony reason why Toronto made more money was that the Expos lost their english TV rights, that won't happen again. The Blue Jays are going to have to learn how to w/o a huge advantage. Frankly I think an NL team in Dallas would also help the cause for Travel. I think the acela corridor teams should be together and the great lakes teams should be together. Get Toronto out of the AsL east so their fans can stop saying they can't compete.

 

[Melrose Munch]

«Ça ne change rien pour le Projet Baseball Montréal» -Warren Cromartie'
Coderre veut toujours aider au retour des Expos
In french, but here it says nothing changes. And coderre still wants to be active in bringing the expos back.

 

[KevFu]

I agree with this. But look, the majority of history, Montreal was there. The ony reason why Toronto made more money was that the Expos lost their english TV rights, that won't happen again. The Blue Jays are going to have to learn how to w/o a huge advantage.

No doubt. If the Expos STAYED and they added Vancouver and Washington DC now via expansion, the end result is the same. But I just don't think they're going to add TWO TEAMS that each carve out pieces from the same team's TV territory in one expansion, regardless of what it used to be.

It's too much of a drastic alteration of TV territory at one time. ANY TEAMS. Like, they might add Montreal and Vancouver, Sacramento and Fresno; Austin and San Antonio; Charlotte and Hampton Roads, VA; Orlando and Jacksonville with their next 10 teams... but they're not adding them in pairs like that. They'd mix it up so there's 10-20 years between teams invading an existing teams old TV territory.

Frankly I think an NL team in Dallas would also help the cause for Travel. I think the acela corridor teams should be together and the great lakes teams should be together. Get Toronto out of the AsL east so their fans can stop saying they can't compete.

I hate to be repetitive, but "Travel" is more about the ORDER of games and less about the division make up. Yes, your travel would be shorted if you're in a division with teams nearby. But that's really only going to affect HOU, TEX (leaving the AL West), or TB/MIA if they join the same division.

In the Expansion thread (that got moved over from BOH to baseball forum), I did a lengthy breakdown dismissing the "reduce travel" claims of "The Plan" that Baseball America had (radical realignment).

The overall point is: If you wanted to reduce travel, make a clean schedule matrix and increase local TV times... you don't need radical realignment to achieve it. It can be done within AL/NL. And it can be done BETTER than their plan.

For starters if you want to drastically reduce travel: Play only four-game series. That's 40 series per year instead of 52, 30 flights instead of 38.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Business, not politics, will drive potential Expos return: Jonah Keri

 

[Melrose Munch]

We're back
Mayor Valérie Plante to meet Montreal baseball promoters Friday

Mayor Valérie Plante says she’s looking forward to meeting Stephen Bronfman and Mitch Garber on Friday to discuss the return of a Montreal baseball franchise.
“In the next few days, I’ll be meeting the main promoters of the project to bring back baseball to Montreal,” Plante said Wednesday morning during a meeting of the city’s executive committee.
Bronfman and Garber head a group of investors in talks to land a Major League Baseball team for Montreal, through expansion or relocation of an existing franchise.
“So we’re going to chat about baseball,” Plante said.
She noted that while she didn’t attend last week’s exhibition games at the Olympic Stadium between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays because of a city council meeting and the provincial budget, some of her colleagues did go and took part in preliminary discussions with the promoters on the return of baseball.
“I can’t wait to look into the state of affairs, to get started on this issue and see how we can move forward and look at the possibility of bringing back a team to Montreal, because in Montreal, we love baseball,” she said.

Montreal baseball: Bronfman says no Big O or tax money, but yes to city 'help'

“It’s always fun to come to the stadium,” he said. “(But) MLB has already told us the Olympic Stadium won’t work. I’d really prefer to start off new with a new stadium.”
That statement may seem surprising, given that most observers believe any new team would begin playing at the Big O while a new venue is being constructed, but Bronfman says the idea doesn’t come from him.
“That’s pretty much the message we’ve been given by (MLB),” he said and which the MLB later confirmed by email.
“What we’ve always said is that we will not return to Montreal without a firm plan for construction of a new stadium, including its financing,” the MLB stated.
Bronfman further assured that the Quebec City experience will not be repeated, that no construction will begin until a franchise has been confirmed.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Starting to confirm what has been rumoured all along.

The part about the Big O I think is not quite as cut and dry as they said. If you have a chance to get the Rays in a year or two, you jump on it and don’t wait for a downtown field to finish. There’s two issues here, one is that the league won’t want to repeat an Expos 2001-2004 situation where we know the team is leaving but still have to keep it there in the meantime. Second, we don’t want to move into the Big O before a stadium deal is 100% done, because you run the risk of being stuck there. I do believe that the league will allow them to play there for 1-2 years as long as a stadium is in the process of being built and the finances are all in order.

 

[Mightygoose]

What jumped out to me is in the article on today's story.

Montreal mayor to meet with investors hoping to bring back baseball - Sportsnet.ca

"Plante’s stance may have softened after Bronfman said last week they were not seeking money from city hall but need its support in other areas.

"Already it’s a better deal," Plante said after an executive committee meeting this week."

Or more likely her hardball stance was just an anti-Coderre part of her platform during the election last year...it seemed to have paid off....

 

[Fenway]

The clock is ticking in Tampa and no one has a clue where the money will come from

 

[Bjorn Le]

What jumped out to me is in the article on today's story.

Montreal mayor to meet with investors hoping to bring back baseball - Sportsnet.ca

"Plante’s stance may have softened after Bronfman said last week they were not seeking money from city hall but need its support in other areas.

"Already it’s a better deal," Plante said after an executive committee meeting this week."

Or more likely her hardball stance was just an anti-Coderre part of her platform during the election last year...it seemed to have paid off....

I think the latter is likely and it's what I speculated after she was elected. I'm a little surprised Bronfman isn't pushing for public funding but then again, with the money behind this group there is enough to fund a stadium on their own.*

*With significant tax breaks and regulatory concessions, along with some funding from the province and maybe even the federal government.

 

[BigMac1212]

Business, not politics, will drive potential Expos return: Jonah Keri

This feels needed:

 

[Marcobruin]

Mtl new mayor.Mrs.Valerie Plante had a meeting today with stephen bronfman and mitch garber and it was a great one.The ex Mayor Denis Codere was very active and passionate on getting the Expos back in mtl now it seems so is Mrs.Plante. This is great news.Boy i miss my expos

 

[Melrose Munch]

Presser post meeting in French @Fenway @Mightygoose

 

[Melrose Munch]

 

[Marcobruin]

[MOD] what do you think of the Expos return?

 

[Melrose Munch]

[MOD] what do you think of the Expos return?

All for it. Blue Jays should not be the only team in the country. And it would be better for Montreal.

 

[Marcobruin]

I used to listen to garber in my younger years on a station in mtl..the guy had imo a horrible radio voice.it wasnt a very popular radio station and it was on sunday nights..Who would have ever thought the guy would be worth hundreds of millions..He is a huge baseball fan..Mayb he and the Bronfmans(the ones who initially brought mlb to mtl) and hopefully the ones who bring it back

 

[Fenway]

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/plante-on-return-of-baseball-we-re-in-1.3873994

'I'm in,' says Valérie Plante on possible return of Major League Baseball to Montreal | CBC News

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says meeting with baseball promoters was 'very fruitful'

 

[Jumptheshark]

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/plante-on-return-of-baseball-we-re-in-1.3873994

'I'm in,' says Valérie Plante on possible return of Major League Baseball to Montreal | CBC News

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says meeting with baseball promoters was 'very fruitful'

Until they ask the city to pay for a new stadium

 

[Bjorn Le]

Until they ask the city to pay for a new stadium

They already said they aren't. The city will contribute in some ways, but they will not be footing essentially the entire expense, which is what more or less happened in Miami.

 

[cutchemist42]

Honestly asking, how big of a chance is there that they dont wind up being called the Expos?

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Honestly asking, how big of a chance is there that they dont wind up being called the Expos?

0%

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

THE QUESTION WILL BE how much of the Expos history is owned by the Nationals whether those former players played in Montreal or not.... since Washington has honored those who played in Montreal and are also Hall of Famers, similar to Cleveland to Baltimore, Baltimore/Indianapolis, any player over the history of the NBA'S Royals/Kings franchise and Seattle to OKC, (Sonics to Thunder), more so than the return of the Expos brand.

 

[Bjorn Le]

THE QUESTION WILL BE how much of the Expos history is owned by the Nationals whether those former players played in Montreal or not.... since Washington has honored those who played in Montreal and are also Hall of Famers, similar to Cleveland to Baltimore, Baltimore/Indianapolis, any player over the history of the NBA'S Royals/Kings franchise and Seattle to OKC, (Sonics to Thunder), more so than the return of the Expos brand.

I assume Washington will have no problem with Montreal honouring those guys. A good example should be the Winnipeg Jets, who although it's clear they're not the same franchise as the old one, definitely reference their history.