Pick cities for MLB expansion?

[dickay]

I find it hard to believe that the Marlins can't be successful where they are. Give them the right stadium...and if they build upon their current competitive product, couple it with some good marketing there's nowhere else that has as much potential.

[ohms_law]

I agree. Miami can and should be a great baseball town, it's just a matter of the team getting everything together (namely, as you said, a stadium).

[TheNamelessPoet]

maybe if the owner spent more then he recieved from the revenue sharing/luxary tax every year they could field an EXCELENT team.

[belial]

Well the logic would be to ADD 2 cities to the AL & if anything 2 to the West & allow Texas to be shifted to its natural time zone,the Central.

Also it does help if the city already has a "baseball past" eg ex-MLB or current MILB AA/AAA team.


Thus the viable cities (IRL) would be IMO:

1° Portland
2° Vancouver (much richer than the BM version)
2B° Monterrey
3° Las Vegas
4° San Antonio (although they would be placed either in the West or Central)
5° Salt Lake

with the top 2 being my personal favorites & would help MLB's expansion OUTSIDE of the USA

No to SLC, yes vancouver, no las vegas, san antonio is intriguiging, portland - after vancouver -, monterrey - is this in california? Don't they have like 12 teams?

[filihok]

We'll take the Marlins. The ****ing Braves just stole our AAA team, we need a new one. Oh, wait, the Marlins are a major league team, they just draw similar crowds to my D-III college team.

How many of you have been to a Marlins home game? It sucks. They need a stadium bad. With a dome. And air conditioning.

[asianinvasion]

No to SLC, yes vancouver, no las vegas, san antonio is intriguiging, portland - after vancouver -, monterrey - is this in california? Don't they have like 12 teams?

Isnt Monterrey in Mexico?

[shepster]

Monterrey is in Mexico
as a mater of fact why not
combined with the carabean theres enough to fill a club.
or two.They would also have a pic of minor clubs that already exsist there for Farm.
as far as denero problem don't see it.

[dickay]

maybe if the owner spent more then he recieved from the revenue sharing/luxary tax every year they could field an EXCELENT team.

Why should he?? If he takes a loss on the team because they can't get them in a halfway decent stadium, he has every right to try and recoup it. I don't get it, didn't the Rockies and D-Backs start out in brand new state of the art stadiums??? Why did the Marlins and D-Rays start out in second hand sh!t boxes??? Did someone want them to fail?

[ohms_law]

as far as denero problem don't see it.

You may not see it, but I guarantee that the team, the player's union, and the player's themselves will.

[FRENCHREDSOX]

You may not see it, but I guarantee that the team, the player's union, and the player's themselves will.

The Players'/Union will NOT see it Ohms as ALL contracts are paid in US dollars* - the team & the fans MAY see it depending HOW on much they would set the initial ticket prices,which will be in Mexican Pesos** & even then only if the ownership tries to recoup what it is paying out directly - however a "weak" Peso will also have advantages in non Baseball terms of spending such as cheaper food/admin costs/hotels etc .


When the Expos were moved,Monterrey was one of the 3 last teams in the running (with Portland I think) so it must have some positives....



* see Toronto (one of the reasons that they have upped Payroll in the late 2000's is that the Canadian $ is way stronger than it was in the 90's & signing players is cheaper than in the past).


** one has to also consider that 20% of Income/PNB in Mexico comes from Mexicans who live in the US & resend it back to Mexico

[ohms_law]

From what I remember, the players union was none too happy about all the talk about moving the Expos to Monterrey or Mexico City.

[FRENCHREDSOX]

From what I remember, the players union was none too happy about all the talk about moving the Expos to Monterrey or Mexico City.

Personally I don't remember EVER reading such a thing - but it seems contradictory considering that the players' union supports the AAA Mexican Summer league & if you are right then they would oppose any player being sent Down there...but as I say I may be wrong

Monterrey "lost" because:
1) It didn't have the Stadium for MLB ball (although neither did the Nationals ) but more importantly
2) the MLB didn't believe they could make "uber" profits in the team's sale.

It is interesting to note that the Expos were bought for ~20 million by the MLB from Loria & resold by them 2 years LATER for ~400 million & that the MLB still owns 50% rights to all Nationals apparel/merchandising till 2012...

Monterrey or even a Portland franchise value would be considerably less in their initial inception - Forbes' calculated that a Portland MLB franchise would be worth 250-300 million & Monterrey 100-200 million,Bud ALONE just made a cool 20 million in the move to the capital

[SirKodiak]

Why should he?? If he takes a loss on the team because they can't get them in a halfway decent stadium, he has every right to try and recoup it. I don't get it, didn't the Rockies and D-Backs start out in brand new state of the art stadiums??? Why did the Marlins and D-Rays start out in second hand sh!t boxes??? Did someone want them to fail?

The Marlins had an operating income (Operating Revenue minus Operating Expenses, pre-taxes and interest) of $43.3 million last year, second were the Dodgers at $25.5 million.

[beerchaser]

The Marlins had an operating income (Operating Revenue minus Operating Expenses, pre-taxes and interest) of $43.3 million last year, second were the Dodgers at $25.5 million.

most of which Ned Colletti promptly wasted on Andruw Jones.

[dickay]

The Marlins had an operating income (Operating Revenue minus Operating Expenses, pre-taxes and interest) of $43.3 million last year, second were the Dodgers at $25.5 million.

right, and if you believe the financial stats they spin you'll probably believe the quotes that the Yankees actually lost money. I believe they may be selling bridges now.