21 cities that could possibly get an MLB team

As the possibility of the MLB expanding to 32 teams becomes more likely, let’s take a look at 21 cities waiting in the on-deck circle.

Columbus

Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Professional baseball in Ohio’s capital isn’t anything new. The Columbus Clippers is a minor league organization that has been around since 1977, providing nine innings of entertainment from the Pirates to the Yankees to the Washington Nationals and the Cleveland Indians. Currently ranked 14th in the US, Columbus is an expanding metropolis, with area and wealth to support an MLB franchise.
Would Cincinnati and Cleveland go along with it? Probably not. But it would make for a fun series they could call the “Pit Stop.”

The biggest issue, however, is that Columbus falls into a rare category of Large City with a Small Television Market: Nielsen ranks it 34th. Although that’s better than Cincy, it might not be enough for those lucrative sports television contracts to come rolling in.

Odds: 3 out of 10

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