MLB is planning expansion soon

Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to decide on one East Coast and one West Coast expansion team before he retires in 2029. The plan will move forward after the current collective bargaining agreement is resolved.

We polled Orioles players on expansion cities

Eleven Baltimore Orioles players were asked which two cities should get MLB expansion teams. Some took it seriously, analyzing market size and existing sports franchises. Others had more creative answers.

Nashville was the overwhelming favorite

Eight of eleven Orioles players voted for Nashville, Tennessee. Players cited it as a growing city with existing sports teams, great entertainment options, and a strong market for baseball.

“I think one that is probably surefire going to happen is Nashville.”

Pete Alonso on Nashville

The Orioles slugger called Nashville a sure thing for expansion, citing it as the most obvious choice among all the cities discussed.

“I think one that is probably surefire going to happen is Nashville.”

Salt Lake City came in second

Six players voted for Salt Lake City, inspired partly by Jackson Holliday's positive All-Star break visit. Players praised the weather, high elevation for hitting, and the city's growing population.

Jackson Holliday sold teammates on Utah

After visiting Salt Lake City during the All-Star break, Holliday raved about the city to his teammates. His enthusiasm convinced other players like Coby Mayo to support the Utah capital for expansion.

“It was beautiful. Weather was great, and it's high elevation so it'll probably be a good place to hit.”

Pete Alonso loves Salt Lake City

Alonso called Salt Lake City sneaky big and booming, with impeccable summer weather and tons of families who love baseball. He praised the Great American West as a beautiful region for a major league team.

“Salt Lake is sneaky really, really big city. The weather there in the summer is impeccable.”

San Antonio got two votes

Two players supported San Antonio, noting it's a major city with the Spurs but no MLB team. They questioned why California has multiple teams while Texas has only one.

North Carolina cities got votes

Josh Walker and Jackson Holliday each voted for North Carolina cities, with Walker suggesting Charlotte or Raleigh. Walker noted Nashville was getting too much attention and wanted to highlight the Carolinas.

Vancouver could give Canada another team

Josh Walker suggested Vancouver as a West Coast option, noting it would give Canada a second MLB team besides Toronto. He heard from a friend that the city has great baseball culture.

Portland and Austin got honorable mentions

Andrew Kittredge thought Portland, Oregon would be good if MLB restructured divisions to add more West Coast teams. Shane Baz was torn between Austin and San Antonio, both Texas cities.

One player wanted Hawaii

Rico Garcia took the exercise in a completely different direction, proposing one team on Oahu and one on the Big Island. When asked about travel logistics, he simply said it would be sick.

“One on Oahu, one on the big island. That way you can knock out two teams at once.”

Zach Eflin voted for his hometown

When asked for his expansion city choice, pitcher Zach Eflin simply said Orlando with no reasoning other than that he lives there.

Some players couldn't participate

Christian Encarnacion-Strand said he doesn't have the mind for hypotheticals. Chris Bassitt, on the Players Association subcommittee, had thoughts but couldn't share them publicly to avoid appearing as an official union position.

No one mentioned Montreal

Surprisingly, despite Montreal being the former home of the Expos, not a single Orioles player voted for the city to get an expansion team.