With the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas becoming incredibly likely, the ranking for potential MLB expansion cities changed. The Athletic polled more than 100 MLB players and asked them which city is best for a new franchise, and Nashville was the overwhelming choice, receiving 69 percent of the vote.
Montreal (10 percent), Charlotte (5 percent), Austin (5 percent), Portland (4 percent), Vancouver (2 percent) and Salt Lake City (2 percent) also received multiple votes.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has not hidden his interest in growing the sport to 32 teams. Baseball has not added new franchises since 1998. In the summer of 2018, Manfred listed Nashville, along with Charlotte, Las Vegas, Montreal, Portland and Vancouver as potential options. Despite his zeal for growth, Manfred has attached a caveat to all expansion discussion: The sport will not proceed before finding resolutions to the stadium impasses in Oakland and Tampa Bay.
Music City Baseball is a group trying to make Major League Baseball in Nashville and the Nashville Stars a reality. The Stars derives its name from the Negro Leagues franchise. The group reached an agreement with Tennessee State University in November to begin assessing a 100-acre site on campus as the potential location for a sports-entertainment complex with a ballpark and concert venues capable of tapping into Nashville’s rich vein of live music. The money for the stadium will have to come from private investors as the group does not expect to receive public subsidies for construction.
“I think the only issue with them going to Nashville would be, there are so many Cardinals, Braves and Reds fans in that area,” one current MLB player said. “I think it’d be like any other team at first; there’s not gonna be a huge fanbase just at first. But overall, I think of all those cities Nashville for the long run would probably be best.”
Votes for Montreal seemed to be about the appeal of visiting the city every year, while some votes for Charlotte were more personal. A player who grew up in the area made his case for the city: “I’m biased, I know, but people love baseball in Charlotte. When the Knights built their stadium, it was with the idea of expanding it. They always rank high in attendance. I think a team there would be really successful.”
In The Athletic’s MLB Player Poll, players also weighed in on the new rules, Shohei Ohtani’s destination in free agency and labor conversations. There was an overall favorable opinion of the new rules — banning the shift, bigger bases and pitch clock — but they would like to see the pitch clock changed for the postseason. The Dodgers were the clear pick for which team Ohtani would be playing for in 2024. And despite the creation of the economic reform committee and chatter about wanting a salary cap, the players said labor discussions are not happening more frequently in clubhouses right now.
With the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas becoming incredibly likely, the ranking for potential MLB expansion cities changed. The Athletic polled more than 100 MLB players and asked them which city is best for a new franchise, and Nashville was the overwhelming choice, receiving 69 percent of the vote.
Montreal (10 percent), Charlotte (5 percent), Austin (5 percent), Portland (4 percent), Vancouver (2 percent) and Salt Lake City (2 percent) also received multiple votes.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has not hidden his interest in growing the sport to 32 teams. Baseball has not added new franchises since 1998. In the summer of 2018, Manfred listed Nashville, along with Charlotte, Las Vegas, Montreal, Portland and Vancouver as potential options. Despite his zeal for growth, Manfred has attached a caveat to all expansion discussion: The sport will not proceed before finding resolutions to the stadium impasses in Oakland and Tampa Bay.
Music City Baseball is a group trying to make Major League Baseball in Nashville and the Nashville Stars a reality. The Stars derives its name from the Negro Leagues franchise. The group reached an agreement with Tennessee State University in November to begin assessing a 100-acre site on campus as the potential location for a sports-entertainment complex with a ballpark and concert venues capable of tapping into Nashville’s rich vein of live music. The money for the stadium will have to come from private investors as the group does not expect to receive public subsidies for construction.
“I think the only issue with them going to Nashville would be, there are so many Cardinals, Braves and Reds fans in that area,” one current MLB player said. “I think it’d be like any other team at first; there’s not gonna be a huge fanbase just at first. But overall, I think of all those cities Nashville for the long run would probably be best.”
Votes for Montreal seemed to be about the appeal of visiting the city every year, while some votes for Charlotte were more personal. A player who grew up in the area made his case for the city: “I’m biased, I know, but people love baseball in Charlotte. When the Knights built their stadium, it was with the idea of expanding it. They always rank high in attendance. I think a team there would be really successful.”
In The Athletic’s MLB Player Poll, players also weighed in on the new rules, Shohei Ohtani’s destination in free agency and labor conversations. There was an overall favorable opinion of the new rules — banning the shift, bigger bases and pitch clock — but they would like to see the pitch clock changed for the postseason. The Dodgers were the clear pick for which team Ohtani would be playing for in 2024. And despite the creation of the economic reform committee and chatter about wanting a salary cap, the players said labor discussions are not happening more frequently in clubhouses right now.