Matter of time for an expansion to happen in MLB

Major League Baseball (MLB) hasn’t welcomed new franchises since 1998 when the Tampa Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks joined the league.

However, it is a matter of time for an expansion to occur. There are a handful of viable cities for a franchise, including Charlotte, Montreal, Nashville, Portland and Las Vegas. In addition, it is a lucrative business, so those interested in investing will form a long line with money in their hands.

“We are hopeful that we can find ourselves in a world with 32 teams instead of 30.″ Tony Clark, executive director of the Baseball Players Association, told The Los Angeles Times.

The main obstacle to expansion is the need to build new stadiums for the A’s and Rays. Until that happens, MLB will keep the brakes on any intention to expand the number of franchises.

MLB keeps latent the possibility of moving the Athletics to Las Vegas.

“The condition of the Coliseum is a serious problem for us,” Manfred told The Los Angeles Times. “Approval needs to happen now. A binding deal has to happen fast in Oakland”.

A new franchise will not be cheap. The entry price could be above $2,000 million, money that would be distributed among the 30 active teams.

For the Players Association there will also be profits. Expanding to 32 ninths means 52 active slots at the MLB level. Also, more minor league teams and more opportunities for players.

When the expansion will happen is impossible to predict, but it is a situation that MLB is watching closely because it will be unavoidable.