Potential MLB Expansion Thread

[AtlantaWhaler]

So, is this where we all complain about baseball's talent will be diluted with this many teams?

 

[John Price]

baseball has sorely needed expansion and a new franchise. everyone else is adding teams in new markets but MLB (and NBA).

I was tepid on Montreal's first MLB "go" because they played at that old shithole Olympic Stadium but obv won't play there anymore so this is something I can get behind.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I've sort of lost the trail on the 'team to MTL' thing. I know a few stadium locations have been discussed but also cannot see a park being built without a roof of some sort. You don't f*** with MTL weather even in the 'nice' months.

 

[GKJ]

They should put Montreal in the AL imo

 

[Halladay]

So if they go to 32 teams how with the divisions be formatted? 8 divisions of 4? 2 with 6 and the rest have 5? 4 divisions of 8. Very curious how they do this.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Has a potential owner been discussed? Expansion fees?

 

[Cas]

So if they go to 32 teams how with the divisions be formatted? 8 divisions of 4? 2 with 6 and the rest have 5? 4 divisions of 8. Very curious how they do this.

Knowing MLB, it'll be something stupid like five divisions each of different numbers of teams, plus the Yankees in their own division to guarantee they reach the playoffs.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

If any major league sport goes above 32 I'll quit watching it. There's not enough talent.

 

[adsfan]

I think the era of MLB teams simply expanding an extant ballpark are over - they demand a big, brand new park. Expansion of an existing facility hasn't really been done since the 60's, other than Arlington Stadium in Texas.

Montreal does have a facility (Olympic Stadium), as does Charlotte, NC. Both are in the same boat, though - they'd need to be replaced, even if on the same footprint as the existing parks.

That is not entirely true, but I don't see stadium expansions in the future.

Here are the wikipedia numbers for Milwaukee County Stadium's seating capacity.
Seats were added five times in the 1970s, going from 43,768 in 1969 to 54,187 in 1979.
I moved here in 1981. Most of those seats were added to the outfield bleachers.

The drop in 1981 was the addition of a sound pylon in the centerfield area and maybe Bernie's Chalet in the leftfield corner. The stadium seated 56,000 for Packers games by using the bleacher seats in the baseball Batter's Eye.

The Braves played here from 1953 until they moved to Atlanta in 1966. The White Sox played 20 games here between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The Packers left after 1994. Games 2 and 5 for them are still the "Milwaukee" games.

36,011 (1953)
44,091 (1954–1955)
43,117 (1956)
43,768 (1957–1969)
45,768 (1970–1972)
46,000 (1973–1974)
47,500 (1975–1976)
52,293 (1977–1978)
54,187 (1979–1980)
53,192 (1981–2000)

 

[Unholy Diver]

So if they go to 32 teams how with the divisions be formatted? 8 divisions of 4? 2 with 6 and the rest have 5? 4 divisions of 8. Very curious how they do this.

Big Z Man 1990 is working on multiple solutions currently, should have something hammered out soon

 

[GKJ]

If any major league sport goes above 32 I'll quit watching it. There's not enough talent.

You’re gonna be not watching sports very soon then

Big Z Man 1990 is working on multiple solutions currently, should have something hammered out soon

He’s got his whole 32-team MLB plan

 

[Scandale du Jour]

If any major league sport goes above 32 I'll quit watching it. There's not enough talent.

And people probably said the same at like 15 teams. There is plenty of talent all around the world.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

MLB can be interested in MTL but color me very skeptical there's an ownership group with 2-3 billion USD to spend right off the hop - that's what it will cost to pay the expansion fee and build a new stadium (and yes, a roof is necessary, especially for March/April moreso than Sept/Oct as the early fall is often close to summer weather).

 

[Headshot77]

If Oakland relocates I think they become expansion rumor city #1 IMO.

 

[Cas]

If Oakland relocates I think they become expansion rumor city #1 IMO.

Oakland will never get another team and everyone knows it - they wouldn't even be a good bluff.

Portland/Nashville/North Carolina/Montreal/Salt Lake City are going to be the targets and bluffs of the future.

 

[GKJ]

If Oakland relocates I think they become expansion rumor city #1 IMO.

Oakland will never get another team and everyone knows it - they wouldn't even be a good bluff.

Portland/Nashville/North Carolina/Montreal/Salt Lake City are going to be the targets and bluffs of the future.

Even so, if Oakland were the top expansion candidate, they wouldn’t have their current team in such peril to begin with. There’s other extenuating circumstances given who’s currently being dealt with, but people have been at this for, what, 30 years already?

 

[Unholy Diver]

Yeah I can't see Oakland being much of a bluff unless they build a new stadium while waiting for a new team, this is probably their last realistic shot for a good while