Major League Baseball has held steady at 30 teams for more than two decades since adding the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays before the 1998 season and has held firm at that number for more than two decades, but it sure sounds like that could be changing with a couple of new expansion teams in the near future.
When speaking to the media ahead of Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, MLB Player’s Association chief Tony Clark revealed that the league is “hopeful” that it can expand in the near future, according to Bill Shaikin.
MLBPA chief Tony Clark: “We are hopeful .. that we can find ourselves in a world of 32 teams rather than 30.”
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 19, 2022
“We are hopeful that we can find ourselves in a world of 32 teams rather than 30,” Clark said on Tuesday.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean expansion will happen anytime soon. The MLB still has other pressing concerns, including the stadium situations for both the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said those two clubs need new stadiums before MLB can consider expanding.
Rob Manfred on Oakland: "The condition of the Coliseum is a really serious problem for us."
On approval for the waterfront ballpark project: "It needs to happen now. It needs to be done."
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 19, 2022
Regardless of when it happens, Clark’s comments got the MLB world excited, with some offering suggestions for expansion cities and others wondering why the league is considering expansion in the first place.
Hear me out: Expand to Portland and Nashville. 4 divisions of 4 teams each per league. Keep East/Central/West alignment and add new South division. Shuffle some other teams around. https://t.co/3RdLROu9ul
— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) July 19, 2022
To me the most fascinating element of expansion is going to be division alignment/re-alignment … https://t.co/xrs48owlY0
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 19, 2022
Commissioner has said repeatedly that #Rays and #Athletics stadium situations have to be resolved before expansion https://t.co/Pxs3FTFJrU
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 19, 2022
That can't afford players..
— danny benair (@dannybenair) July 19, 2022
I'm hoping Louisville and Nashville, but probably more likely Vegas gets one. I think Louisville with the association with bat production just has a nice feel to it.
— Neil Goldberg (@Neilj32) July 19, 2022
Las Vegas and Nashville please.
— Dan Town (@DanTown22) July 19, 2022
With no additions to the league since 1998, we are currently in MLB’s longest expansion drought since the league first expanded in 1961.