MLB is not expanding yet.
Political and business leaders in the Sacramento market have had a taste of Major League Baseball with John Fisher’s Athletics franchise playing home games in West Sacramento, California in 2025. Now area leaders want more than a team playing in the market for three years. They want a Major League Baseball franchise and have told the world that Sacramento is ready to be a big league city although the city does house a National Basketball Association franchise and there was a failed attempt to place a Major League Soccer franchise in town. A soccer stadium that could house an MLS franchise is being constructed in town.
“We are an MLB ready city,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said. But there may be a fly in the ointment. McCarthy conceded a venue probably would have to be built in West Sacramento which is a different municipality. West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero is on board the let’s bring an MLB expansion franchise to town train. “The City of West Sacramento is conducting preliminary studies to evaluate the long-term feasibility of permanently bringing Major League Baseball to West Sacramento, including the financing and infrastructure investments required to build a new stadium,” Guerrero said. “While this work is still in its early stages, we are confident that West Sacramento offers one of the most attractive and strategically positioned locations for Major League Baseball expansion on the West Coast.” Major League Baseball has a few obstacles to overcome before there is any expansion. Owners in Kansas City, in Tampa Bay and in Chicago, the White Sox franchise, are looking for new stadiums. Fisher is attempting to move ahead with building a Las Vegas stadium for his business after the West Sacramento three year stop. MLB’s first order of business is getting a new collective bargaining deal done with its players.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
