Major League Baseball has undergone significant changes in recent years and that figures to only continue going forward.
The topic of expansion and realignment came up during ESPN’s broadcast of the Little League Classic, fueling speculation on which cities may be getting a team.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the league’s interest in adding two expansion teams and the opportunities that could come with the move.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, MLB expansion remains on track in the next five or six years, with Salt Lake City, Utah, and Nashville, Tenn., the favorites to get teams:
Expansion still is scheduled to take place in 2031 or 2032, Manfred tells owners, with Salt Lake City and Nashville as the two heavy favorites.
Back in August, first MLB game was played in Tennessee when the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds completed the Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. The event set an all-time attendance record for the regular season with 91,032 tickets sold.
MLB last expanded in 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the National League and American League, respectively.
The first MLB expansion occurred in 1961, which saw the Los Angeles Angels and a new Washington Senators franchise join the AL. The new Senators replaced the original team, which had relocated and became the Minnesota Twins.
The potential additions of a Salt Lake City and Nashville franchise would bring the total number of MLB teams to 32 and likely necessitate a realignment.
The last realignment took place in 2013, when the Houston Astros were moved from the NL Central to the AL West.
MLB expansion could lead to reduced schedule
If MLB decides to expand, some believe it will result in the end of the current 162-game schedule.
The league reducing the number of games in the event of an expansion would potentially become necessary for scheduling reasons. However, that could prove difficult for the Players Association (MLBPA) to accept and thus become a point of contention.
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