Rob Manfred says MLB interested in expansion to Mexico
According to an article in Forbes this week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was in Mexico this week to meet with baseball officials and explore the possibility of the nation hosting an expansion team.
“We see Mexico as an opportunity internationally,” Manfred told Forbes’ Maury Brown. “We also think a team in Mexico and a larger number of Mexican players in the big leagues could really help us continue to grow the Hispanic market in the United States.”
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The news is just the latest in a string of stories that reaffirm Major League Baseball’s desire to expand its global presence. In addition to the rampant speculation this year of baseball returning to Montreal at some point, there have also been conflicting reports of the Baltimore Orioles potentially playing exhibition games in Cuba next year.
Whether a team ends up south of the border remains to be seen, but at least a two-team expansion does seem inevitable in the future. Las Vegas, San Antonio, New Jersey, Nashville, Sacramento, Portland, Charlotte and other cities have been mentioned as potential cities to host expansion teams, while another city in Florida could also emerge as a candidate if the Tampa Bay Rays do ultimately relocate out of state.
Manfred has voiced that he’s more interested in expanding than relocating, though as many as four new cities could host teams in the next decade if Tampa as well as the Oakland Athletics up and move. With playoff hunts in both leagues as competitive as they’ve ever been, the commissioner’s office seems convinced that there’s enough talent to go around, and the shape of the MLB landscape could be changing drastically in the next several years.