If you build it…
While those now-infamous whispers were initially echoing from the baseball heavens via Shoeless Joe Jackson to a confused Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, they resonate a very topical reality in today’s baseball landscape. As MLB revenues top the $10 billion mark, with local television deals seemingly attainable (and working), many cities would like to be the ones voicing such promises.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has not shied away from talking about expanding both in the US and internationally, either. And, with the premise that adding more teams will add more revenue—while, don’t forget, playing into the back-and-forth tactics of the CBA—the idea of expansion is very possible.
Of course, there are difficulties to consider—a defining difference from the NFL and NBA: For every new franchise that comes into the league, if there’s a minor league team in the area…well, it’s been lovely, but you gotta go!
Still, expansion in the MLB isn’t “if” it’s “when and where?”.
Here’s a look at 21 cities with a population, market size, and location that could put them in the on-deck circle.
Orlando
Orlando tops the list—mainly because it’s recently topped the MLB expansion headlines. Orlando Magic co-founder, Pat Williams, has become the face championing to get an MLB franchise in Central Florida. Although baseball in Florida doesn’t have the most celebrated PowerPoint presentation, that isn’t to say a team near Disney World would be a disaster.
Orlando is a top 20 television market with a metro area of over 2.5 million people. Nielsen’s 2020 DMA (Designated Market Area) rankings have Orlando’s marketing reach at 18th. With someone holding the financial status like Williams leading the charge, it’s possible the MLB would not brush this off as a mere publicity bake sale. (Williams, ironically, would like the team name to be the Orlando Dreamers.)
Odds: 7 out of 10