It’s a little bit crazy to think that in my lifetime I would see a Major League Baseball team pick up and relocate to another city. Not only that, the team that happened to stupefy the baseball world was my beloved Montreal Expos, as they sought greener pastures in our nation’s capital to add insult to injury. Prior to the 2005 move it had been 28 years since the last relocation when the second incarnation of the Washington Senators moves to Texas and became the Rangers. Before that? Only two years had passed since Bud Selig bought and moved the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee to become the Brewers. Before that? Well, it’s messy. Between 1953 and 1972 a total of nine teams moved across country and sought refuge and a fan base with a modest amount of success. In my lifetime I had only imagined that I would continue to see additional teams added to the mix like in 1993 and 1998; however, the economy of today is much bleaker, and like the Expos a relocation might be in order for one team in the not too distant future. With the way things are looking, it’ll more than likely be the Tampa Bay Rays, as they are all ready in desperate need of a new facility and a much more passionate and loyal following. So with that, here are the three best options for them, or really any team for that matter, if push comes to shove.
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
One of the biggest problems giving Major League Baseball grief is that there is way too much space in between cities in the central United States. For example: From Denver, Colorado, the home of the Colorado Rockies to Phoenix, Arizona it’s 862 miles just for them to play their closest divisional rival. From Denver to Seattle, Washington it’s 1331 miles and from Denver to San Francisco, California its 1282 miles. That’s all moving westward. When you go eastward the three closest teams (Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers) are all roughly 900 miles away. Even though Salt Lake City is still about 500 miles west of Denver, a professional team there would still reduce travel to California and Washington, not to mention help develop more of an American League following within Idaho, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming. Yes, the Seattle Mariners have been a staple of that market since 1977; however, adding another team to the mix would help stir a bit more of a rivalry that makes better sense than the Mariners and the San Diego Padres.
The other benefit of Salt Lake City is that there is all ready a triple-A team there that has warmed up the market; the Salt Lake City Bees, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. With them all ready in play you have at least warmed up the American League allegiance. What baseball fans outside of Utah also tend to forget is that there are two other minor league teams in the nearby area: the Ogden Raptors and the Orem Owlz, both of whom draw a decent amount for being roughly 40 miles each outside of Salt Lake City. Having a Major League team in those areas would help make those teams an even bigger hit when the Major League club is out of town. It also helps that the Utah Jazz of the NBA have a loyal fan base as the only one of the four major sports being represented, along with Real Salt Lake of MLS right behind.
2. Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jeff Loria is no longer welcome, and that’s all the 1.65 million people of Montreal need to hear. Having one team in Canada is ok, but having two teams truly helped the game thrive within the country, especially when the Expos were calling up a lot of homegrown talent which helped put fans in the seats.
Since the Expos left Montreal there have been multiple efforts to get a team back to Montreal with quite a few of the city’s elite and political sides doing their best to make it happen. The first order of business would be to find a suitable location for a new stadium since Olympic Stadium is outdated and deteriorating. A few investors including former National League Cy Young winner and Montreal native Eric Gagne have drummed up support, as have Expos legends and even Gary Carter before he passed away in February of 2012. Montreal has a MLS team, a NHL team and a CFL team with loyal supporters backing them. It could work again. The only drawback of this is that it would have to be a National League team once it’s established due to territorial issues and rebuilding a kinship with the original fan base. It might be tough, but it would essentially mean that a 16-14 split in each League is in order to make it happen.
1. Charlotte, North Carolina
Realistically, this is the only city in North America where a team would make the most sense. Charlotte’s population is just over 750,000 people and it all ready has two of the four major sports in play: the Carolina Panthers of the NFL and the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. Charlotte’s location is also perfect as it resides roughly 15 miles from the border of South Carolina, a state that currently holds five teams with the triple-A Charlotte Knights just within its reach. North Carolina on the other hand houses 19 teams including the triple-A affiliate of the Rays, the Durham Bulls.
Why would this be a benefit to the Rays? For starters it will get them into a community whose fan base primarily revolves around the Atlanta Braves, the former affiliate of the Durham Bulls before the Devil Rays expanded in 1998, and because that was the only team being shown on TBS: The Superstation. The biggest issue with the Rays is that they are currently established in an area that all ready has loyal followings that back the Major League teams who played their Spring Training ball in their area. With a move to Charlotte it’s not even like the team is starting out fresh. Almost everyone who is a fan of a Major League team is a National League supporter. By adding an American League, let alone a top-level team into their area, the Rays will thrive. Plus, it will make rehab trips and stops a lot easier and more cost-effective in the long run as Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham are only 143 miles away from one another. Just to give you a little more perspective on things, that 143 miles is just about 15 percent of the distance away the Rays are to their closest divisional rival, the Baltimore Orioles.
Honorable Mentions:
Portland, Oregon- A population over 3 million people and two professional sports teams: the Portland Trailblazers and the Portland Timbers, as well as the Portland Winterhawks a WHL team. With all of this Portland has had multiple triple-A teams come and go on top of nearly locking up the Expos in 2004. A Major League team will never succeed in Portland.
Omaha, Nebraska- The location is the best part; however, a population under 500,000 people and the Royals 188 miles away may cause a red flag with territorial rights. The Mecca of college baseball seems perfect, especially with minor league teams in and around the area.
Indianapolis, Indiana- It’s only about 180 miles from Chicago and 120 miles away from Cincinnati. There are two professional sports teams in place: the Indianapolis Colts and Indianapolis Pacers, as well as the most famous destination in auto sports, the Indy 500. The current triple-A team, the Indianapolis Indians, is consistently a top-10 draw in all of Minor League Baseball and actually poses a legitimate chance of being able to house a Major League team… just as long as every team within that 200-mile radius doesn’t take issue with it.