This seems like a colossal pain in the ass for the players. The two teams aren't even in the same country... navigating leases, bank accounts, etc, seems like a pain, and if I were the MLBPA, I'd ask for additional compensation for players on this team.

The team could just pay for hotels in one of the cities. Why would they need separate bank accounts or anything else? You can withdraw money from your U.S. bank acct at a Canadian ATM, and your CCs work everywhere. The logistics aren't complicated, it's just that you're on the road 3/4 of the year.

The main problem, is you'll always be playing in sub-par facilities. You're not going to get the same stadium built for 40 games, and you would for 80.

I don’t see why the stadium issues wouldn’t work. They build football stadiums for 8 games.

Yes, I am not sure this is this hard on anyone.

What about the players' families?

Half the dang country, and all of Canada, is trying to get to Florida in the winter and spring, to escape the cold, and half of the south is trying to find a cool place for the summer to avoid the summer heat. This is a blessing and a feature, and not a bug.

Basketball briefly had the KC-Omaha Kings And the Baltimore-Washington (or was it the Washington-Baltimore?) Bullets.

These kinds of arrangements don't seem to last very long. Eventually the stronger city usually prevails.

I realize this is the internet, and there is a counter for everything, but goodness gracious, they just live out of an apartment furnished by the team either in Montreal or Tampa, their choice, and live out of their home the other time (or an apartment-the team will be able to arrange it).

But you know what is an even bigger, obvious point? Half the dang country, and all of Canada, is trying to get to Florida in the winter and spring, to escape the cold, and half of the south is trying to find a cool place for the summer to avoid the summer heat. This is a blessing and a feature, and not a bug.

In any event, do you know how any sales people and executives live on the road from Monday morning until Thursday afternoon. Once the pandemic subsides, so stand in a major airlines hub on a Thursday afternoon.

But what about their pets?

The Carolina Cougars in the ABA as well.

But what about their pets?

Most players don't live full-time in the city they play. This is a difference ion degree, not in kind. If they really want their families with them full-time they have the option to home-school/hire tutors.

they should play games in the spring and fall in Montreal, when it is still rather chilly and attending an indoors sporting event would have some appeal (whereas the weather in Tampa is nice), and likewise play midsummer games in Tampa when the weather is sweltering

I mean, I would rather live part-time in Montreal and part-time in Tampa than live full-time in Tampa.

The first, most important reason for the league: why would they give up the Montreal expansion possibility without actually extracting the expansion fees from a new ownership group/team? That's transparently bonkers!

It's like a drug dealer that gives you the first hit for free.

So Rays games would be blacked out on streaming in Florida and all of Canada?

The first, most important reason for the league: why would they give up the Montreal expansion possibility without actually extracting the expansion fees from a new ownership group/team? That's transparently bonkers!

MTL more useful for threatening places like Oakland or whoever is next in terms of building a new stadium

Baltimore decides theirs is too old

There was a story a few months back where Manfred basically said that MLB probably won't be expanding any time soon - owners are in it for the long haul, they split an absurd amount of money every year, and that even if the expansion fee was 2x$2B American divided evenly between the existing owners, they'd be coming out behind by going from a 30-way split to a 32-way split in a decade or so. If they aren't going to do it now, when the owners might be tempted by a big cash infusion after a couple of Covid-impacted seasons, they're not going to do it in a year or two when things are closer to back to normal.

Are there any new amenities that Oriole Park is lacking?

Are there any new amenities that Oriole Park is lacking? That stadium is the archetype for everything that has come later.

2) Would they still be called the Rays in Montreal?

Combine the Expos and Rays -- The Ex-Rays!

I know players like money and money is usually the driving factor in where they sign, but I think this would be a major turnoff to any free agent who has any choice about where he signs. You can either sign with a team and spend half the season in one place, in one country, or spend your year split between road games and two home cities that are in different countries.