MLB: Let’s talk about expansion!

 Ahh yes, baseball is almost upon us. Spring training is most certainly music to my ears.

So instead of bombarding Joe Buck and his ineptitude, or arguing which cheaters do or do not belong in the Hall of Fame, let’s take a relaxed approach today!

Let’s talk about expansion (and relocation) in the MLB.

Commissioner Manfred would be cuckoo not to consider expanding into 32 franchises. Fortunately, he’s not cuckoo. Turning the league into 32 teams and dividing them into four divisions with four teams makes perfect sense for all parties, and he’s made it perfectly clear that he knows it.

It doesn’t take a business degree to understand that the idea of creating a new professional sports team from scratch could take a pretty long time. What, with having to pick team colors and all. That could take years!

Okay, but seriously, note that expanding into 32 MLB teams is most definitely a long-term project. I’d say we’re looking at maybe four or five years from now. If you’ve read my previous article(s), you’d know that I invest a lot of time into worrying about baseball’s image and dwindling popularity across North America. One step forward, two steps back, when it comes to that. So let’s think of a more immediate fix for baseball.

How about relocation?

Beginning with potential landing spots for relocation, I am fully invested in the idea of Canada getting the next team, regardless of how it comes. Montreal and Vancouver are the front runners in my mind, and in the minds of many. It just makes so much sense to give Montreal the Expos back, but don’t count out Vancouver. These are two large Canadian cities with a thirst for local baseball on the major league scale.

You know what else makes sense? Moving the Rays out of Tampa to make this happen. I detest turning on the TV seeing a ghost town of a ballpark by mid-May. Florida seems to be the hot spot. Miami is another embarrassment, but they won’t be going anywhere. Not with their new stadium and appeal.

The expansion is years away. Relocation is a more reasonable short-term approach. With cities like Montreal and Vancouver drooling for some Major League action, perhaps it is time to go north of the border with some of MLB’s bottom-dwellers. I’m looking at you, Florida!

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