I predict the Brewers to Orlando, Rays to NJ, Yankees move to Fargo, ND.

I bet if there wasn't an oligopoly on major-league sports franchises there would be a lot of ex-Mets fans going over to the various lower-league teams in the New York area right about now.

Tampa Bay has a second-base hole?

There are plenty of taxpayers in New Jersey and Connecticut just begging to spend a billion dollars on a stadium few of them will go to.

As much as I think New Jersey would make a lot of sense, I suspect this would be blocked, and the best places to move would be places like San Antonio, Austin, Las Vegas, Portland, Charlotte, and Nashville. Austin would probably make a lot of sense, since there's no top league professional sports competition there. Las Vegas is the same, but the commissioner might block that.

There are plenty of taxpayers in New Jersey and Connecticut just begging to spend a billion dollars on a stadium few of them will go to.

Never underestimate the public's ability to be great big giant suckers on this, or the state's ability to get this done without going to a public vote.

I predict the Brewers to Orlando

Man, that'd suck. I'm likely going to be moving to Milwaukee in a few months, and I'm relying on the Brewers to provide me with some sort of buffer from Chicago baseball. (If I could just find some way to ignore the Packers while there, too, I'd be set.)

Do people really think the Brewers are going to move? They sure as #### aren't going to move while Bud is on this earth.

Objections from the league's two most important teams, as well as the Phillies and Mets, both arguably Top 5 and almost certainly Top 10 (depending on how "important" you think the league feels both the LA teams and the Cubs are).

Yeah, good luck Rays.

Tampa Bay has a second-base hole?

I thought that was weird too, but the linked article says that Zobrist might end up moving to right field.

he state's ability to get this done without going to a public vote.

Or a state's ability to get it done despite a public vote denying funding, as did the State of Maryland after a referendum for funding Oriole Park at Camden Yard was rejected by voters. They just sold a bunch of scratch off lottery tickets to pay for it. I wish I was joking...

As much as I think New Jersey would make a lot of sense, I suspect this would be blocked, and the best places to move would be places like San Antonio, Austin, Las Vegas, Portland, Charlotte, and Nashville. Austin would probably make a lot of sense, since there's no top league professional sports competition there. Las Vegas is the same, but the commissioner might block that.

Montreal is also available.

They just sold a bunch of scratch off lottery tickets to pay for it. I wish I was joking...

Hey, at least you can opt out of that "tax".

Do people really think the Brewers are going to move?

Probably the same people who think Tampa Bay is going to move.

Hence #1, which was a funny callback.

I presume this is just super-low grade bluster to help TB get a new park, keep big market clubs in line, and - I dunno - stay in the news?
Anyway, it ain't happening.

****
What is the Montreal of which you speak? We have always been at war with Eurasia.

One of the few things the Mets and Yankees will work aggressively and cooperatively toward is preventing any teams from forming or moving into the same economic market.

Especially after both combined spent the GNP of Guam to build their luxury boxes with a baseball field in the middle.

Las Vegas is the same, but the commissioner might block that.

There are a half-dozen reasons that moving a Major League franchise to Las Vegas would be a terrible idea, but the reason it won't happen is that the city can't justify a taxpayer-funded stadium.

Mets and Yankees: "Hey, we can't afford to have any more teams move into our territory. We can't afford to lose even one of our 19 million residents to another team."

I and others have said it for a long time, but if you want to cure baseball's woes regarding inequality, MLB should put three additional teams in the NY metropolitan area and one more in LA. Done and done.

San Antonio, Austin, and Las Vegas are out because they will have no water in a few decades and their populations will decrease by 80%. Climate change may make Portland a boom town but Charlotte and Nashville are less likely.

San Antonio, Austin, and Las Vegas are out because they will have no water in a few decades and their populations will decrease by 80%. Climate change may make Portland a boom town but Charlotte and Nashville are less likely.


Rejkjavek is lovely this time of year.

Only in my dreams:
The Rays up and move, like the Baltimore Colts, middle of the night, to Trenton (there's a stadium, but temporary, eventual intent is to build a real stadium near Jersey City))

MLB finds out about it as it's served with a Federal Court Preliminary Injunction (District of New Jersey) barring them from intervening in the move or penalizing the Rays for doing it)

I can then more easily switch allegiance from the Mets to the Rays (I don't really have to "switch"- different leagues and all that)

I thought that was weird too, but the linked article says that Zobrist might end up moving to right field.

Because it makes so much sense to move an excellent defender from a middle infield position to a corner outfield position?

Because it makes so much sense to move an excellent defender from a middle infield position to a corner outfield position?

Sure, maybe, if you're replacing him with another excellent defender in Reid Brignac or the potential of Sean Rodriguez. Do I think they should? No, not particularly, but they may want to get one (or both) of them some serious major league experience.

the best places to move would be places like San Antonio, Austin, Las Vegas, Portland, Charlotte, and Nashville.

Why does Portland keep getting included in these lists? Our AAA team will be homeless next year, and nobody cares. I know having a major league team is different, but unless the owner is willing to pay for a new stadium himself, I don't see any way a team moves here.

Yes, Portland has pretty much worked itself out of the conversation the last few years with it's AAA team problems and the political climate. Probably should replace Portland with Sacramento in that list.

Hey, at least you can opt out of that "tax".

Unless you don't sell enough tickets in which case the money comes out of the general fund. Or if the municipality routinely takes out new loans to pay for the old loans in which case the money will still be coming out of your pocket.

Or a state's ability to get it done despite a public vote denying funding, as did the State of Maryland after a referendum for funding Oriole Park at Camden Yard was rejected by voters.

And as the Pirates did. If the right politicians are pulled in, it'll get done.

-- MWE

Sure, maybe, if you're replacing him with another excellent defender in Reid Brignac or the potential of Sean Rodriguez. Do I think they should? No, not particularly, but they may want to get one (or both) of them some serious major league experience.

It is very likely that one or both will be on the major league roster come opening day. Aybar could also fill in at 2B as well.

I really don't think that the Rays have a "hole" at 2B, or really anywhere if Zobrist maintains most of his improvement of a year ago.

-- MWE

Peter Gammons reports on MLB.com that the Rays eventually could be forced to move to a more profitable market.

So today I learned that apparently 'reports' and 'speculates' are interchangeable. How about that.

Bring back the Hollywood Stars (split up LA/Orange County), or the Expos. Put a team in Brooklyn (split up NY).

Staying true to history and tradition (as opposed to aligning geographically):

32 teams.
AL East: Yanks, Sox, Orioles, Rays.
AL North: Jays, Tigers, Indians, White Sox.
AL Central: Twins, Brewers, Royals, Rangers (Brew Crew belongs in AL).
AL West: Angels, A's, Mariners, Hollywood Stars.

NL East: Mets, Phillies, Nationals, and Expos/Brooklyn.
NL North: Cubs, Cards, Reds, Pirates (tip o' the hat to NL tradition).
NL Central: Rockies, Astros, Braves, Marlins.
NL West: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks.

Yankees play AL East 16 each (48 games).
Yankees play other AL divisions 8 each (32+32+32 = 96 games).
Yankees play alternating NL division 3 each (12 games).
Yankees play rival 6 games.
162 games.

or if no interleague (preferably),
Yankees play AL East 14 each (42 games).
Yankees play other AL Divisions 10 each (120 games)

Six playoff teams in each league. Top 2 in each league get a bye.
3 plays 6; 4 plays 5; series are best of 3.
DS is best of 5.
CS is 5 (preferably) or 7;
WS is 7.

The small divisions will allow the Pirates and Royals to STFU about having no chance at the playoffs. I'd buy that for a dollar!

Portland would be the best market if there were any kind of indication that people there gave a crap about baseball. MLB is different, but this is a city that lost its AAA team a few years ago because we wouldn't support it, and is about to lose it AGAIN because we won't let it play in the stadium it has played in since the dawn of time. Also, city and county taxes are already fairly high, and the city council is dead set against it. N'happenin.

Still a better idea than Vegas, though. I never understand why people insist on listing that one as a viable market. Makes no sense whatsoever.

As the official Austin resident of Primer (TM), Austin would be a terrible choice for a team. I'm puzzled at the notion above that the lack of competition from other professional sports is a plus. Instead, it should be indicative. Of what, you can take your pick, be it a focus on collegiate sports or the fact that the city is world-famous for live music and movies, which happen to compete for the same dollar as sports. Whatever you choose, fact is that Austin is emphatically not a sports town. When you're around town, there is zero talk of anything other than UT athletics, period. There's a reason that there's nothing here.

There's a reason that there's nothing here.

I always presumed that the reason was that the city wasn't very big until quite recently. That people only talk about UT sports is a chicken and egg problem. If you gave them a team there, people might very well take to it.

Portland would be the best market if there were any kind of indication that people there gave a crap about baseball. MLB is different, but this is a city that lost its AAA team a few years ago because we wouldn't support it, and is about to lose it AGAIN because we won't let it play in the stadium it has played in since the dawn of time. Also, city and county taxes are already fairly high, and the city council is dead set against it. N'happenin.

It's a big city without a team, and which is far enough from the other teams that it wouldn't be a problem to move a team in there. It has some major corporations (e.g. Intel) that could buy luxury boxes.

It has some major corporations (e.g. Intel) that could buy luxury boxes.

No, it really doesn't. Nike is the only Fortune 500 company based in the area.

31. billyjack

Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Mets and Yankees: "Hey, we can't afford to have any more teams move into our territory. We can't afford to lose even one of our 19 million residents to another team."

How exactly could the Mets/Yankees/Phillies prevent a team from moving to New Jersey, as long as it's outside the 75-mile (or however much it is) limit? Isn't New Jersey, like, a whole seperate state? Same story with Connecticut.

I and others have said it for a long time, but if you want to cure baseball's woes regarding inequality, MLB should put three additional teams in the NY metropolitan area and one more in LA. Done and done.

Amen.

[Portland is] a big city without a team, and which is far enough from the other teams that it wouldn't be a problem to move a team in there.

Portland is all of 172 miles from Seattle, and in terms of population density the top seven states in the country are all located between Delaware and Massachusetts. Washington State's population density is barely above Alabama's, and Oregon is below Iowa and Oklahoma. You'd have to be clinically insane to try to put a baseball team in that city.

@31

Why would you call the NYM/PHL/BKN/DC division the "NL East" and the ATL/FL/HOU/COL the "Central?" And why on earth would you spread that last division out over three time zones? I see that you're going with tradition over geography, but that seems a little overkill.

Why would you call the NYM/PHL/BKN/DC division the "NL East" and the ATL/FL/HOU/COL the "Central?"

Well, every team in the former division is much farther east than every team in the latter division, for one thing.