Manfred has indicated he\u2019d like to have an expansion process in place before he retires in January 2029, but has yet to describe how it would work. Expansion would also require negotiation as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that expires Dec. 1, 2026. Fees to enter the league are estimated no less than $2 billion.<\/p>\n
Cities seeking major league baseball teams![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/WO3WBYL7W3JUVQDIMFEBZEGM5I.jpg\")
The Larry H. Miller Company and Miller family unveiled renderings for the Power District, a nearly 100-acre site adjacent to the Utah State Fairpark and the Jordan River, Feb. 15, 2024. Here is an aerial view of the Power District looking east. | Larry H. Miller Company <\/p>\n
Though expansion appears on the back-burner for now, it hasn\u2019t dampened enthusiasm for the possibility in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s tremendous excitement locally about the potential for expansion,\u201d Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company, told The Athletic<\/a> last week, while describing the market as \u201cbuzzing with anticipation\u201d about the prospect of bringing big league baseball to Utah.<\/p>\n Last month, Forbes contributor Maury Brown<\/a> designated Salt Lake City as one of the two frontrunners to get an expansion team, along with Nashville. But he\u2019s far from the first.<\/p>\n A year ago this month, ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney and Cy Young award winner David Cone both independently called Salt Lake City the most likely expansion site<\/a> after Nashville.<\/p>\n The Athletic last week published a \u201cprogress report\u201d on six cities vying for the two spots \u2014 Nashville, Raleigh and Orlando in the East; Salt Lake City, Portland and Austin in the West. But the article also noted that Manfred said last month the league has made \u201cno pre-determinations\u201d about locations, so Montreal, Charlotte, San Jose, Vancouver or even Oakland could be in the mix.<\/p>\n Is Salt Lake City ready for MLB expansion?<\/p>\n \u201cIf there exists such a thing as a turnkey expansion option, it\u2019s Salt Lake City,\u201d per The Athletic.<\/p>\n The story notes that Big League Utah<\/a>, a coalition of prominent business and civic leaders, elected officials and former pro athletes led by the Miller Company, has broad bipartisan political support, a growing market, a massive stadium site on the city\u2019s west side and up to $900 million in public funding for ballpark construction. It also says the company has a reputation for stability and decades of experience owning pro sports teams.<\/p>\n Larry H. Miller bought the Utah Jazz in 1985, and his wife, Gail, assumed ownership upon his death in 2009. The Miller family sold the team for $1.66 billion in 2020 and sold its car dealerships<\/a> valued at $3.2 billion in 2021. It owns the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, which moved to a new ballpark in South Jordan this season, and bought Real Salt Lake in MLS earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cNow you have the second generation of family who\u2019s come along, and they stand on the shoulders of their parents,\u201d Starks told The Athletic. \u201cThey love sports. They love baseball in particular. So they said, we would love to be stewards of the next great American sport, which happens to be our pastime, and aligns with our family\u2019s passion for community building.\u201d<\/p>\n