The next MLB franchises?

Question

Suppose MLB decided to add two teams to the American League. Where would you locate the franchises, and why?

Assume that all of the current teams stay where they are. No team moves or switches leagues.

Answer 1

Las Vegas would be my first choice for a MLB franchise. With 1,000 people a month moving here it is the fastest growing area in the country. With a population already over 1.7 million in Clark County the fan base is already in place. And with the overwhelming amount of visitors daily there will always be walk-up ticket sales. Additionally, with over 300 days of sunshine a year and beautiful mountain scenery it is aesthetically a great choice. And most importantly, the city is already financially committed to bringing in pro franchises.

My second choice is Indianapolis. It is the 12th largest city in the country which already supports a successful Triple A franchise. The city has proven it's commitment to sports with new stadiums for the NBA Pacers and NFL Colts. The NCAA Hall of Champions was recently constructed here. And there is the legendary Brickyard. The point being, the state of Indiana is one of the most dedicated and passionate in terms of sports and its teams.

Answer 2

I think the northside of Chicago deserves one! They haven't had professional baseball there in 100 years! LOL Mexico City, San Juan, Vancouver and Portland (OR) have been bantered about for a while. I've always said bring an AL team back to St. Louis since they are the only metropolitan region to have over 100% attendance-to-population ratio (3.55M fans in a 2.5M area). San Antonio, Memphis, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, etc. would be some interesting places. I serious doubt Las Vegas will ever get a team because of the legalized gambling issue being so sensitive!

Answer 3

Have to balance East and West coast...

1. Las Vegas - Only if Nevada removed Major League Baseball from the sports books (not a likely prospect but a compromise could be reached that the Las Vegas team could not be bet on). Otherwise it's a boomtown with a lot of energy about hosting big-time events.

2. Indianapolis - Fairly isolated from big-league ball (Chicago and Cincinnati are 4 hours away each). Strong fan base that can draw from as far away as Terre Haute and Fort Wayne.

Answer 4

1. Las Vegas . . . growing area, big tourist destination. Of course, the MLB is wary of the gambling.

2. Buffalo . . .it's been a much talked about area for a team in the past. The one thing that will be needed is a retractable dome. Why not put a team in western NY?

Answer 5

Portland, Oregon, because another AL team is desperatley needed in the West division to beef up competition.

Las Vegas, Nevada, because of the growing city, and the guarenteed high ticket sales

Answer 6

Carolina
San Antonio

Answer 7

Sacramento- they've got a wonderful stadium that can quickly be renovated to seat more than 20,000 it already does...

Phoenix- Year round baseball: Spring Training, Fall League, and regular season...

NEVER IN VEGAS...I ATTEND EVERY SINGLE LAS VEGAS 51S GAME AND WE HAVE A TOUGH TIME GETTING 1500 PEOPLE ON WEEKDAYS

Answer 8

First of all, they wouldnt put 2 new teams in the AL. They'd put one in the AL and one in the NL. And both these teams would be in the Western Division b/c they only have 4 teams.

AL-Las Vegas Gamblers
NL-Portland Sluggers

Answer 9

why dosent baseball move the marlins to orlando maybe they
would get some more fans.and not have to destroy the team every time they get good.i dont think baseball should expand
any more the pitching is so thin now.maybe they should combine teams and money example combine tampa bay and florida move them to orlando.combine kc and colorado move them to vegas.

Answer 10

Mexico and Cuba, lets get this World Baseball going.