Big Four Relocation and Expansion

One of my favorite sports topics is relocation and expansion in the Big Four Sports Leagues. In this post, I break down cities that should get new teams.

MLB

I think the MLB will soon expand from 30 to 32 teams. There are many teams vying for a new team. I think 5 new cities should get teams, with 2 expansions and 3 relocations.

I think the 3 relocations will need to happen before expansion. The first team that should relocate is the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite having decent success, the Rays have had terrible attendance, even for playoff games. With the new stadium project in the Tampa area collapsing and Tropicana Stadium having its roof ripped off, Tampa needs to leave soon.

I think it makes sense for them to move to Nashville. There is already a lot of momentum for a new team to go to Nashville and be called the Nashville Stars. There also is rumors that the new Tennessee Titans stadium complex will have room for a new MLB stadium which puts it in a great location. Nashville is a good sports town and the Rays moving there solves a current issue while also keeping allowing them to stay in the AL East (for now).

I also think the Chicago White Sox should relocate. They are having tons of issues with finding a new stadium and with current attendance issues. There is already another team in Chicago and they would be a prime candidate to move. I think Salt Lake City would be their best option. It isn’t as big as other potential expansion cities, but it already has 2 other sports teams and is a sports crazy town. They also have a big group trying to bring the team there and have a lot of momentum to bring a team there.

A potential wild card move I could see if the LA Angels moving to Portland. Portland is a big sports city/area without and MLB team. The Angels are second citizens in their town and could be due for a move.

The two expansion cities I see for the MLB are Charlotte and Austin/San Antonio. Charlotte would give the MLB access to the Carolinas market, which is a pretty big baseball area. Austin/San Antonio is a massive dual market they could get into.

* This is all assuming that the Oakland As do end up moving to Las Vegas.

Based on the moves above, here are the new divisions I imagine once 32 teams are in the league:

American League

AL East

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays

Baltimore Orioles

AL North

Minnesota Twins

Kansas City Royals

Detroit Tigers

Cleveland Guardians

AL South

New Austin/San Antonio Team

Houston Astros

Texas Rangers

Colorado Rockies

AL West

LA Angels/ New Portland Team

Las Vegas Athletics

Seattle Mariners

New Salt Lake City Team (formerly Chicago White Sox)

National League

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies

New York Mets

Washington Nationals

Pittsburgh Pirates

NL North

Chicago Cubs

St Louis Cardinals

Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers

NL South

Miami Marlins

Atlanta Braves

Nashville Stars (formerly Tampa Bay Rays)

New Charlotte Team

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers

Arizona Diamondbacks

San Francisco Giants

San Diego Padres

NBA

I think the NBA should expand to Seattle and Las Vegas. Both cities have arenas that a new team could move into and both are great sports towns. An NBA team would also give both cities four sports teams and solidify them as massive sports towns. The new NHL teams in both cities have done well and can serve as a blueprint for a new NBA team.

I also think the Memphis Grizzlies could move to Nashville. Nashville is a better sports town and the Predators have an arena they could move into pretty easily.

The Grizz could move into the Eastern Conference and the new Seattle and Vegas teams would join the Western Conference.

NHL

There are multiple NHL cities that could potentially lose teams like the San Jose Sharks or Buffalo Sabres. However, with the recent NHL expansion/relocation, there aren’t many places for these teams to go. Hockey is mainly a northern sport, so I don’t think expanding to a southern city is smart. Potentially, a Canadian city like Quebec City or a northern US City like Milwaukee or Portland could be on the list. I think for right now, the NHL will sit pat and see how the new expansion/relocation pans out before making any more moves.

NFL

I don’t think there is any chance the league expands anytime soon. The current structure of 32 teams works so well that there is no real benefit to adding new teams. And while there are teams that don’t fit in great to their current cities, I don’t see any leaving soon. The Jaguars would be the main team that might have left. But they recently announced plans to do a $1.4 billion renovation of their current stadium so they aren’t moving any time soon. And if they did, where would they go?

London is not a realistic option. The travel that a team would have to go through being based in London is absolutely brutal and I don’t think any player or coach would be a fan of that. Plus, being in a foreign country throws in the complications of taxes, foreign exchange, and politics further complicating things for a team based there.

Outside of that, there are potential US cities that could field an NFL team. However, none are such great options that any team is likely dying to move there. You do not hear much about NFL teams looking to relocate because most, if not all, are happy enough with their current situations