Expansion fees for Major League Baseball teams could rise to $2.2 billion range

[Fenway]

Manfred: MLB expansion fees could rise to $2.2B
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NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball would consider expansion fees in the range of $2.2 billion for new franchises, though there are no current plans to add teams.

Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke Tuesday during SporticoLive's online discussion of its estimates to baseball franchise valuations. The company estimated the average MLB franchise value is $2.2 billion, led the New York Yankees at $6.75 billion.

Colorado and Miami paid $95 million each to join in 1993, and Arizona and Tampa Bay paid $130 million to join in 1998.

Manfred has said repeatedly that MLB will not consider expansion until the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays get new ballparks. The Athletics have proposed a stadium in the Howard Terminal area of downtown Oakland, and the Rays have said they will pursue splitting seasons between the Tampa Bay area and Montreal starting in 2028, after the expiration of their lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
No plans for those cities have been finalized.

Manfred has mentioned as possible expansion candidates: Charlotte, North Carolina; Las Vegas; Montreal; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

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[MMC]

Comes out to well over 3 considering the stadium is another billion.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

No one is going to pay that much $ for an MLB expansion team

 

[Lunatik]

No one is going to pay that much $ for an MLB expansion team

The Mariners were bought for 1.4B in 2016, so I wouldn't say never, but the list of potential suitors would be short.

 

[Fenway]

No one is going to pay that much $ for an MLB expansion team

According to Forbes you only have 7 MLB teams worth that now

 

[Unholy Diver]

Maybe they could get money like that for a big market like LA, NY, or Chicago, but to spend that kind of money to put a new team in a potentially lousy location doesn't make sense, but I suppose if you get a rich guy who wants it bad enough someone will pay it

 

[BKIslandersFan]

If this is true then Montreal is out.

But then again what potential expansion candidate have owners ready to pay that amount?

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

According to Forbes you only have 7 MLB teams worth that now

View attachment 427129

True, but big difference between historic big market franchises with either new-ish ballparks or ballparks that are an attraction themselves (Cubs, Sox) and starting at square one

 

[Fenway]

If this is true then Montreal is out.

But then again what potential expansion candidate have owners ready to pay that amount?

Montreal is going to get Tampa Bay and everyone knows it.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Montreal is going to get Tampa Bay and everyone knows it.

Wonder what relocation cost is going to look like.

 

[Fenway]

Wonder what relocation cost is going to look like.

MLB and the Rays will go to the city of St Pete and offer a deal to help the city in life after the dome to get out of the lease a few years early.

 

[GKJ]

Why do the status of new stadiums for two teams have to do with expansion?

 

[Fenway]

Why do the status of new stadiums for two teams have to do with expansion?

Possible relocation - Oakland is inching closer but if Howard Terminal falls apart they will start looking elsewhere (Portland?) The A's have been looking at options for close to 20 years now.

 

[GKJ]

Possible relocation - Oakland is inching closer but if Howard Terminal falls apart they will start looking elsewhere (Portland?) The A's have been looking at options for close to 20 years now.

If you have enough options for new markets though, I don’t think that should really matter.

 

[Lunatik]

If you have enough options for new markets though, I don’t think that should really matter.

Do they have enough options? There is Montreal and...? After Montreal we're starting to talk about metro areas of 2-2.5m or less. Which would include Vancouver, Charlotte, Portland, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Vegas, Columbus & Austin.

Unless of course they are willing to open up the border to the south, then Mexico City would be a no brainer. Monterrey and Guadalajara could be options then too as both of which are in 2 of the most affluent areas of Mexico and the Metro areas have 4+ million

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Do they have enough options? There is Montreal and...? After Montreal we're starting to talk about metro areas of 2-2.5m or less. Which would include Vancouver, Charlotte, Portland, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Vegas, Columbus & Austin.

Unless of course they are willing to open up the border to the south, then Mexico City would be a no brainer. Monterrey and Guadalajara could be options then too as both of which are in 2 of the most affluent areas of Mexico and the Metro areas have 4+ million

Going to Mexico could be a great idea.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

For 2.2 billion it would have to be a major market. This is essentially just saying they aren't open to expansion right now unless like Elon Musk gets bored or something.

 

[Bjorn Le]

For 2.2 billion it would have to be a major market. This is essentially just saying they aren't open to expansion right now unless like Elon Musk gets bored or something.

No it's not. You act like an expansion fee is picked arbitrarily out of a hat.

If this is true then Montreal is out.

But then again what potential expansion candidate have owners ready to pay that amount?

This changes literally nothing about Montreal. Everyone knows it's not a matter of if Montreal gets a team back, it's when and how.

 

[Lunatik]

Going to Mexico could be a great idea.

I'd love to see Tampa & Oakland get their new stadiums and MLB expand to Mexico City and Montreal.

 

[alko]

2,2 billions is f... amount of money. But im questioning, how much could it be by NFL?

 

[StreetHawk]

The Mariners were bought for 1.4B in 2016, so I wouldn't say never, but the list of potential suitors would be short.

It's also the markets that the MLB is looking into. Is a team in Portland, Charlotte, Nashville, Vegas, etc. going to be worth that $2 Bill plus price tag?

 

[SSF]

2,2 billions is f... amount of money. But im questioning, how much could it be by NFL?

3-6 billion depending on market

 

[RyCanadian]

Someone has to be really rich to be able to afford that.

 

[Fenway]

MLB has to come to grips that they are no longer the national pastime and at best slightly ahead of the NBA.

Today MLB is king in only 1 market - New York City and possibly LA

Boston was always a Red Sox town but the Patriots changed that even with the Red Sox winning it all 4 times since 2004.

The NFL took great pains NOT to set an expansion team threshold price while allowing teams to leave St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland.

 

[Bixby Snyder]

Today MLB is king in only 1 market - New York City and possibly LA

NYC and St Louis, Lakers have been #1 in LA for decades.