{"id":835498,"date":"2026-07-30T08:29:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T08:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835498\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T08:29:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T08:29:32","slug":"vancouver-selects-group-led-by-real-estate-developer-zack-ross-as-partner-for-mlb-expansion-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835498\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver selects group led by real estate developer Zack Ross as partner for MLB expansion bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto Blue Jays fans with balls and markers hope to get an autograph prior to first inning American League Championship Series Game 4 action between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, in Seattle last fall.Frank Gunn\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The City of Vancouver has selected a group led by Vancouver real estate developer Zack Ross as its preferred partner to pursue a Major League Baseball expansion franchise.<\/p>\n

Ross, president of Vancouver real estate developer Cape Group, leads The Show Vancouver, a group formed to bring an MLB team to the city. <\/p>\n

The group\u2019s proposal is centred on a new ballpark and mixed-use development, although no site has been announced. Nor has the group disclosed the estimated cost of the project, its projected economic impact or how the project would be financed.<\/p>\n

Ross said in a statement that Vancouver \u201cis one of the great cities in the world, and we deserve a Major League Baseball team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Ken Sim launched an expression-of-interest process this spring seeking a qualified ownership group with the financial capacity and experience to advance an MLB bid.<\/p>\n

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told Sportsnet in October that another Canadian city in the league could work, when he was asked about adding a team in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

The league has not announced plans to expand, although Manfred has previously said he hopes MLB will grow from 30 to 32 teams before his planned retirement in 2029.<\/p>\n

The city said council had directed staff to enter a memorandum of understanding with The Show Vancouver to establish the collaboration framework, \u201cincluding due diligence for potential ballpark sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTSV will be responsible for all costs and financial risks associated with preparing and advancing its MLB bid,\u201d the city said.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The centre-hung scoreboard and cable-supported retractable roof are seen inside BC Place Stadium. The venue’s 2011 renovations made it no longer an option to host baseball games.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

It added that the city would collaborate with TSV as it explored a potential expansion bid, and any future project agreements, including site selection and land-use decisions, would be subject to council approval.<\/p>\n

BC Place Stadium hosted several Major League Baseball exhibition series between 1984 and 1994, featuring the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Montreal Expos. <\/p>\n

However, a $500-million renovation completed in 2011, including a centre-hung scoreboard and cable-supported retractable roof, eliminated the stadium\u2019s ability to host baseball.<\/p>\n

The Show Vancouver is partnering with BRS Sports, a sports marketing and analytics company, whose principals include former NHL executive Jac Sperling, sports venue consultant Tim Romani and Denver real estate executive Ray Baker.<\/p>\n

The group said it has retained ballpark architecture firm Populous, project management firm CAA Icon and architecture and design firm Gensler to help develop the proposal.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s announcement included endorsements from Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president Bridgitte Anderson and former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt.<\/p>\n

Vancouver is currently home to the Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays\u2019 single-A affiliate, which plays at the 6,500-seat Nat Bailey Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cMLB in Vancouver will showcase our city\u2019s global character to the world,\u201d said Ross. \u201cBut first and foremost, this is a community asset, and we will always act as its steward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Toronto Blue Jays fans with balls and markers hope to get an autograph…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":835499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,55,883,913],"class_list":["post-835498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-vancouver","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/835499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}