Rob Manfred hopes MLB expansion will fix his maligned legacy.
Major League Baseball’s commissioner has publicly made it known that he wants to expand the league from 30 teams to 32 teams. Manfred’s goal is to accomplish this before the end of his term in 2029, and he seems pretty adamant about it.
“I have five years left (on his contract),” Manfred said at the Owners Meetings. “Those teams won’t be playing by the time I’m done but I would like the process along and (cities) selected.”
It makes perfect sense for Manfred to orchestrate MLB expansion.
First and foremost, the billionaire owners will receive massive payouts by adding two teams, and secondly, the excitement over having two new franchises will dominate the headlines. All of which will help gloss over his laundry list of blunders and missteps as the alleged leader of America’s pastime.
This is the same man who called the World Series Trophy “a piece of metal,” had knowledge about the sign-stealing scams by the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, allowed the size of the baseball to fluctuate with no rhyme or reason, had more recently allowed uniform pants to be see-through, and — my favorite — smiled like the Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland” when he announced the 2022 lockout to the world.
There is no doubt those positive headlines would alter the perception of Manfred’s tenure, but should MLB be steamrolling ahead with expansion, especially when there are so many issues facing current teams and their ballparks?
The league’s last expansion project occurred nearly three decades ago when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays had their inaugural seasons in 1998. The 25-year drought between expansion is the longest in MLB history since the 60-year drought from 1901 to 1961.
The Washington Nationals are not considered an expansion team as the Montreal Expos relocated and rebranded with a new name in 2005.
Nashville is the clear front-runner and it makes a ton of sense with its rabid fanbase for NFL and NHL franchises, a longstanding minor league baseball team (Nashville Sound), and being ranked in the Top 30 in U.S. media markets. Its effort is led by Music City Baseball Group which features former All-Star pitcher and World Series MVP Dave Stewart. The other serious contender for MLB expansion appears to be Salt Lake City, which has devout fans of NBA and MLS teams and also supports minor league baseball.
To make it happen, a realignment would probably need to happen, with models being floated about four eight-team divisions or eight four-team divisions. Either way, the estimated billions brought in from expansion fees that the owners can divvy up make expansion feel inevitable.
There are more than a few roadblocks, as Manfred has multiple franchises dealing with issues with their home ballparks.
Yes, the stadium issues in Baltimore and Milwaukee have been resolved in the past six months as Maryland and Wisconsin state legislatures have signed off on committing funding to upgrades to the facilities. But problems remain with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and the league’s last two expansion teams — the Diamondbacks and Rays.
Arizona, fresh off a World Series appearance last year mind you, has been trying to get a ballpark since 2016. Things got so tenuous that the Diamondbacks even filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County (where Chase Field resides) for nearly $200 million in repairs. The lawsuit was later dropped.
Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said that the necessary renovations at Chase Field would cost nearly $500 million, which is so enormous that it may be cheaper for them to build a new park in Arizona or somewhere else. By the way, the park’s retractable roof is in such bad shape that they can’t open or close it with fans in the facility because it is deemed a safety hazard.
Tampa Bay wants a new stadium built in Pinellas Country which includes a reported $600 million in government funding and $130 million from the city of St. Petersburg. The team will pony up the other $700 million needed. The three parties have agreed to construct a new stadium but the proposal still needs to be approved by lawmakers which can also be tricky.
There is also billionaire Jerry Reinsdorf trying to push Illinois and its taxpayers to foot the bill for a new state-of-the-art ballpark for his Chicago White Sox when the lease between Guaranteed Rate Field and the Illinois Sports Facility Authority expires in 2029.
The proposed palace Reinsdorf wants will cost an estimated $1 billion and includes housing, hotels, bars, restaurants, and a reported 4,000-space parking garage in a 62-acre tract of land along Chicago’s South Loop. Just like he did decades ago when he openly floated the idea of moving the team to St. Petersburg, he has already met with Nashville’s mayor during the winter meetings.
Billionaires needing locals to foot the bill for their parks is a tried and true tradition, and a reason why they remain billionaires.
Kansas City Royals CEO John Sherman is trying to persuade Jackson Country voters to sign off on a new ballpark in a trendy arts district in downtown Kansas City, which will likely pass as voters will be simply extending an existent sale tax for 40 years. Not to mention, the funds will also be used for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, and the ownership group is putting up $1 billion of its money.
All of those issues pale in what is happening with the Athletics move from Oakland to Las Vegas.
The Athletics still don’t have a temporary home secured past the upcoming season where they will play at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, a rundown facility that has had sewage backing up into the clubhouses among other experiences. The A’s proposed $1.5 billion park on the Las Vegas Strip won’t be ready until 2028. Sacramento and Salt Lake have been floated about being temporary homes and could help lay the groundwork to earn one of those expansion franchises.
Oklahoma City proved that it could serve as an NBA expansion city after successfully housing the displaced New Orleans Hornets due to Hurricane Katrina. Could the same happen for Sacramento or Salt Lake in MLB? Possibly.
Not only does the notoriously and dangerously cheap Athletic owner John Fisher need to find a temporary home, but the proposed new home appears to be on shaky ground.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman recently said the stadium plan, which will require nearly $400 million in public funding, “does not make sense.” Goodman further stated, “I personally think (the A’s have) got to figure out a way to stay in Oakland to make their dream come true.”
Yet when Manfred was asked about the state of the soon-to-be vagabond franchise, he was steadfast in his resolve of Vegas being the new permanent home for the once-proud A’s.
“I am confident that the deal in Las Vegas is solid and that the A’s will build a stadium in Las Vegas and play there in 2028,” Manfred said.
Manfred has a handful of franchises trying to secure new ballparks facing significant obstacles, with a few more flirting with leaving, and another one who doesn’t even have a place to play next year. That is some legacy, isn’t it?
Raymond Partsch III is the co-host of “RP3, D-Loh & Meche” which is broadcast weekdays (11-1) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.