MLB Expansion?

[CochiseCowbell]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/colu...k.com&utm_campaign=buffer#lCy1zvATVMLr2WxQ.97

I think expansion is a bad idea right now. It worked in '92. However, that was before the '94 Strike, the steroid "black eyes", the NFL becoming the Juggernaut it is, & before 25 years of technology improving the home watching experience. I say wait until the NFL implodes, first. Also, what happens to the DH?

 

[QuaoarsKing]

All for it. Would think Charlotte and Nashville would be great locations for teams, and if they want to go this route, Havana and Monterrey teams would be loved by their local populations.

 

[philduckworth]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/colu...k.com&utm_campaign=buffer#lCy1zvATVMLr2WxQ.97

I think expansion is a bad idea right now. It worked in '92. However, that was before the '94 Strike, the steroid "black eyes", the NFL becoming the Juggernaut it is, & before 25 years of technology improving the home watching experience. I say wait until the NFL implodes, first. Also, what happens to the DH?

I've changed my stance on the DH. I'm tired of watching pitchers bat. I say DH league wide.

 

[msstate7]

I've changed my stance on the DH. I'm tired of watching pitchers bat. I say DH league wide.

Do it now... maybe the Braves can salvage a little value out of Matt kemp

 

[snoopdog]

I agree on the universal DH for this reason...

I've changed my stance on the DH. I'm tired of watching pitchers bat. I say DH league wide.

When The Cardinals were trying to sign Pujols (at the time in his prime), they were at an extreme disadvantage due to the fact that he HAD to play the field to be in the lineup, whereas for The Angels he could simply DH. It allowed The Angels to pay more and offer more years simply because they had a built in advantage over the NL team. The Cardinals couldn't compete due to rules being different, which was utter ********. With that being said, The Cardinals are lucky in this case due to Pujols rather quick decline, but the issue still remains.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

This is why I think the DH should be abolished all-together. Pitchers used to be, & a lot still are, athletes as well. Most are the best athletes on their HS teams. Not all, I know (Mitchell, Polareno, etc).

Not to mention, it eliminates strategy, double switches, etc. With the DH you or I could manage the Yankees.

 

[Dawgg]

I think expansion is the only way the MLB grows.

By and large, the number of games an MLB team plays kinda makes "appointment television" and travelling to away games prohibitive for fans (outside of diehard superfans). The real draw with baseball is that you can take the day off work and go down to the stadium and hang out for a few hours and take in the experience.

Also, at least in my opinion, the in person experience for the MLB (like the NHL) is heads and shoulders above watching it on television. I can't say the same for the NFL or the NBA.

I think Nashville is a growing town and the fan support for the Preds will give it a better look for relocations going forward, but it's going to have a hard time drawing an MLB team because of its location. It's in the direct center of the 4 hour nexus of Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Atlanta and I just don't think the population density is there to support 4 teams in that area. Same reason Indianapolis has never really had a team.

Charlotte may be a good option as a Rays relocation destination, but it is still awfully close to Atlanta for a brand new team.

Your kinda "ideal" spots are:
1. Western US (between Seattle, Denver, and Bay Area):
Portland - yes, it's still close to Seattle, but part of Portland's identity is that it is "not Seattle".
Salt Lake City - the location is right, but it's been a hard sell in the past.
Las Vegas - If the Knights and the Raiders do well, this would be a no-brainer. They'll even have a new(ish) stadium ready.

2. International:
Mexico- Mexico City has been tossed around for most of my life, but the travel costs for teams to and from Mexico City are going to be difficult to swallow. The side effects of the drug trade through northern cities like Monterrey are probably going to keep the MLB out.
Canada- Vancouver seems like a no-brainer, but they couldn't support the last pro franchise that came through, neither could Montreal.
Cuba - 2-3 years ago, I would have thought Havana could be a really interesting proposition, but the current administration seems to want to tighten up the recently relaxed restrictions on Cuba, so who knows?
Puerto Rico - (yes, I know it's not technically international) If Congress would do the right thing with Puerto Rico's finances (even before the hurricane), San Juan has the population and infrastructure to support a team, but not the finances. Being an American territory, it wouldn't have the same concerns as Mexico or Cuba.

 

[Dawgg]

Also, totally eliminating pitchers batting would kill the game for me.

DH is a bastard position.

 

[AusTexDawg]

"I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter." - Crash Davis

 

[EngDawg]

Communist subversion of America will be complete.

 

[Todd4State]

I agree that expansion for baseball wouldn't be a great idea because I think it would water down the talent throughout the game. That said, I think it happens because of the Union wanting more days off and the fact that a 32 team league would be easier to schedule than 30 as the article said.

I think the DH would just stay in the American League and the National League would still use the pitcher as a hitter like it is now.

I don't think MLB would go to a four division league. I think it would be like the NFL with four divisions with four teams each.

My guess as to who would get the expansion teams- Portland and Montreal. Montreal has sold out exhibition games the past few years and they have a lot of old Expos fans who want a team back. If they would have gotten a new ballpark built they would still be around today probably. MLB wanted a team in D.C. though- and they were an obvious choice. Portland has wanted a team for awhile but they need a new stadium. I'm not sure how much interest would be there- I think they could end up being Tampa Bay 2.0.

Montreal goes back to the National League and then Portland goes to the American League and they'll probably realign the two leagues.

 

[Todd4State]

The Braves would have a BIG problem with MLB putting a team in either Nashville or Charlotte. They would not be happy. Havana and Monterrey the problem would be getting MLB players to go play in those cities as full time players. Havana probably wouldn't want a MLB team because they don't want MLB scouting their local prospects- although they typically lose them anyway. MLB has had some issues with players getting sick in Monterrey and then there is the crime issue.

 

[Todd4State]

When The Cardinals were trying to sign Pujols (at the time in his prime), they were at an extreme disadvantage due to the fact that he HAD to play the field to be in the lineup, whereas for The Angels he could simply DH. It allowed The Angels to pay more and offer more years simply because they had a built in advantage over the NL team. The Cardinals couldn't compete due to rules being different, which was utter ********. With that being said, The Cardinals are lucky in this case due to Pujols rather quick decline, but the issue still remains.

Meh. Pujols wanted to be the highest paid player in the game and the Cardinals didn't want to do that is basically what that came down to. The Cardinals were trying to get his market down and they were hoping that someone wouldn't make him an offer that he couldn't refuse which the Angels did.

 

[anonymous.sixpack]

The Braves would have a BIG problem with MLB putting a team in either Nashville or Charlotte. They would not be happy. Havana and Monterrey the problem would be getting MLB players to go play in those cities as full time players. Havana probably wouldn't want a MLB team because they don't want MLB scouting their local prospects- although they typically lose them anyway. MLB has had some issues with players getting sick in Monterrey and then there is the crime issue.

Well aren’t you a sunshine pumper.

 

[aTotal360]

Someone on the radio was saying Montreal and Mexico City would get a look. They also said Tampa and someone else could get contracted.

 

[johnson86-1]

I think expansion is the only way the MLB grows.

By and large, the number of games an MLB team plays kinda makes "appointment television" and travelling to away games prohibitive for fans (outside of diehard superfans). The real draw with baseball is that you can take the day off work and go down to the stadium and hang out for a few hours and take in the experience.

Also, at least in my opinion, the in person experience for the MLB (like the NHL) is heads and shoulders above watching it on television. I can't say the same for the NFL or the NBA.

I think Nashville is a growing town and the fan support for the Preds will give it a better look for relocations going forward, but it's going to have a hard time drawing an MLB team because of its location. It's in the direct center of the 4 hour nexus of Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Atlanta and I just don't think the population density is there to support 4 teams in that area. Same reason Indianapolis has never really had a team.

Charlotte may be a good option as a Rays relocation destination, but it is still awfully close to Atlanta for a brand new team.

Your kinda "ideal" spots are:
1. Western US (between Seattle, Denver, and Bay Area):
Portland - yes, it's still close to Seattle, but part of Portland's identity is that it is "not Seattle".
Salt Lake City - the location is right, but it's been a hard sell in the past.
Las Vegas - If the Knights and the Raiders do well, this would be a no-brainer. They'll even have a new(ish) stadium ready.

2. International:
Mexico- Mexico City has been tossed around for most of my life, but the travel costs for teams to and from Mexico City are going to be difficult to swallow. The side effects of the drug trade through northern cities like Monterrey are probably going to keep the MLB out.
Canada- Vancouver seems like a no-brainer, but they couldn't support the last pro franchise that came through, neither could Montreal.
Cuba - 2-3 years ago, I would have thought Havana could be a really interesting proposition, but the current administration seems to want to tighten up the recently relaxed restrictions on Cuba, so who knows?
Puerto Rico - (yes, I know it's not technically international) If Congress would do the right thing with Puerto Rico's finances (even before the hurricane), San Juan has the population and infrastructure to support a team, but not the finances. Being an American territory, it wouldn't have the same concerns as Mexico or Cuba.

you want congress to say, 'hey, Puerto Rico, you apparently aren't capable of managing you're finances so we're going to take over.'? Or maybe make hurricane relief and other aid contingent on them getting their **** together?

I'm pretty hard core on fiscal issues and that would be too much even for me. They could do things to help like stop making them subject to US minimum wage laws and stop the applicability of the jones act to them, but for the most part, there's not much thebUs can do to make them live within their means while providing any respect for their autonomy.

 

[anonymous.sixpack]

Meh. Pujols wanted to be the highest paid player in the game and the Cardinals didn't want to do that is basically what that came down to. The Cardinals were trying to get his market down and they were hoping that someone wouldn't make him an offer that he couldn't refuse which the Angels did.

And six years later the Cardinals are still trying to fill that hole in the lineup.

 

[state2013]

Too bad it makes too much sense because now it'll never happen.

 

[Todd4State]

Well aren’t you a sunshine pumper.

Do you live in Nashville or Charlotte?** Or Havana?**

 

[state2013]

The game is worse off by allowing a bad player to consistently get at bats. They suck at it and the NL front offices don't care enough to train them early on to be good at it. Even the best NL pitchers are not very good at it.

 

[Todd4State]

And six years later the Cardinals are still trying to fill that hole in the lineup.

I'll say this about it- and I know a LOT of Cardinals fans would disagree with me on this- but I'm OK with overpaying a player that is iconic to the franchise. I personally don't think they handled the Pujols situation very well at least on the negotiations side of it. I don't have a problem with Yadi's contract either. Basically I look at it as the team is paying for what the player did in his prime when he was "controllable".

I also think Pujols made a mistake in the long run because I think he would have made more money over the course of his life being associated solely with the Cardinals because they treat their former players very well. Pujols has that 10 year service deal with the Angels and I'm going to be interested to see how things end there. I have a feeling that things aren't going to end well for Pujols in Anaheim.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I agree that expansion for baseball wouldn't be a great idea because I think it would water down the talent throughout the game. That said, I think it happens because of the Union wanting more days off and the fact that a 32 team league would be easier to schedule than 30 as the article said.

I think the DH would just stay in the American League and the National League would still use the pitcher as a hitter like it is now.

I don't think MLB would go to a four division league. I think it would be like the NFL with four divisions with four teams each.

My guess as to who would get the expansion teams- Portland and Montreal. Montreal has sold out exhibition games the past few years and they have a lot of old Expos fans who want a team back. If they would have gotten a new ballpark built they would still be around today probably. MLB wanted a team in D.C. though- and they were an obvious choice. Portland has wanted a team for awhile but they need a new stadium. I'm not sure how much interest would be there- I think they could end up being Tampa Bay 2.0.

Montreal goes back to the National League and then Portland goes to the American League and they'll probably realign the two leagues.

The best way baseball could benefit from expansion would be to shorten the season IF they are going to have more post season games. The season runs from April until almost November and also runs into football and the NBA.

The start of the season should be the end of April and then the World series somewhere between the end of September to the first weekend of October.

Just my two cents that there are too many games.

 

[Drebin]

I believe that expansion would be terrible for the game. In fact, I would be all for contracting two teams.

As for the DH argument, it is bad for the game. There are a couple of reasons why pitchers hitting has deteriorated so much:

1. The DH and free agency: half of the pitchers in baseball never hit and never work on hitting. If they awitch leagues they are behind the curve.

2. Pitch counts and pitcher specialization: starting pitchers go a little less than 6 innings on average now, and there are too many matchup games played with pitching changes. Pitchers get fewer at bats as a result.

I really hate the idea of extending careers of guys that can't play defense. It's bad for player development. The DH is one of the worst things to ever happen to baseball.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

The Braves would have a BIG problem with MLB putting a team in either Nashville or Charlotte. They would not be happy. Havana and Monterrey the problem would be getting MLB players to go play in those cities as full time players. Havana probably wouldn't want a MLB team because they don't want MLB scouting their local prospects- although they typically lose them anyway. MLB has had some issues with players getting sick in Monterrey and then there is the crime issue.

If Nashville can support a NHL Team and Charlotte can support a NFL team, surely they can support a MLB team.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

That proposal would never happen. There are too many people involved in baseball that would never go for that much change.

 

[ronpolk]

I believe that expansion would be terrible for the game. In fact, I would be all for contracting two teams.

As for the DH argument, it is bad for the game. There are a couple of reasons why pitchers hitting has deteriorated so much:

1. The DH and free agency: half of the pitchers in baseball never hit and never work on hitting. If they awitch leagues they are behind the curve.

2. Pitch counts and pitcher specialization: starting pitchers go a little less than 6 innings on average now, and there are too many matchup games played with pitching changes. Pitchers get fewer at bats as a result.

I really hate the idea of extending careers of guys that can't play defense. It's bad for player development. The DH is one of the worst things to ever happen to baseball.

I understand your point but disagree. I think the DH is a good thing. It makes the game more exciting. Most pitchers are terrible hitters because it’s not what they are focused on (they shouldn’t be). Having an extra hitter should lead to more runs and then more excitement. Just my opinion.

However, they do need to either adopt the DH for both leagues or do away with it. It’s really stupid that the leagues play under different rules.

 

[Drebin]

I understand your point but disagree. I think the DH is a good thing. It makes the game more exciting. Most pitchers are terrible hitters because it’s not what they are focused on (they shouldn’t be). Having an extra hitter should lead to more runs and then more excitement. Just my opinion.

However, they do need to either adopt the DH for both leagues or do away with it. It’s really stupid that the leagues play under different rules.

My whole point is that pitchers should focus on hitting more, because it's part of the game. The DH has cheapened the impact of a good hitting pitcher.

And more runs should not equal more excitement. A 1-0 game with great pitching and defense can be just as exciting if you love the game.

The game has changed so much that the benefit of a DH is smaller, anyway. In the NL, the pitcher only bats once or twice and then he's getting pinch hit for.

 

[SirBarksalot]

If Nashville can support a NHL Team and Charlotte can support a NFL team and an NBA team, surely they can support a MLB team.

added to.

Charlotte has led attendance in Minor league since the new stadium was built. (Maybe 2nd this year), but I’m not sure if the city could support a 3rd major league team for 81 games. Perhaps. Paying for a stadium would be the other issue.

 

[ronpolk]

My whole point is that pitchers should focus on hitting more, because it's part of the game. The DH has cheapened the impact of a good hitting pitcher.

And more runs should not equal more excitement. A 1-0 game with great pitching and defense can be just as exciting if you love the game.

The game has changed so much that the benefit of a DH is smaller, anyway. In the NL, the pitcher only bats once or twice and then he's getting pinch hit for.

I disagree that pitchers should focus on hitting. If I’m an owner, I’m paying him millions of dollars to get outs, not get hits.

Offense sells tickets and gets viewers. This is true in any sport. Perfect example is why a lot of people find college football more exciting than pro.

There is no right or wrong here. It’s just a difference in an approach. I personally don’t care anything about the pitcher hitting when 85 to 90% of the time it’s an automatic out.

 

[Go Budaw]

The Braves would have a BIG problem with MLB putting a team in either Nashville or Charlotte. They would not be happy. Havana and Monterrey the problem would be getting MLB players to go play in those cities as full time players. Havana probably wouldn't want a MLB team because they don't want MLB scouting their local prospects- although they typically lose them anyway. MLB has had some issues with players getting sick in Monterrey and then there is the crime issue.

Two questions, why would the Braves have a huge problem with it, and who cares if they do? Both cities are over 4 hours from Atlanta. The Braves don’t have a monopoly on baseball or any other sport in the Southeast. It’s not going to affect their attendance any. Baseball attendance sucks across the board anyways during weekday games, and on weekends any large city can fill one stadium or multiple stadiums. It hasn’t affected the Falcons one bit to have the Titans and Panthers in the same cities you just mentioned.

 

[Palos verdes]

Any of the following areas could support MLB -
San Juan, San Antonio, Raleigh/Durham, Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Portland, and Austin.

 

[SirBarksalot]

An article from this summer..

http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Ch...-Wont-Get-Major-League-Baseball-Anytime-Soon/

 

[patdog]

Because the Braves have an almost exclusive monopoly on the entire southeast to draw fans from. They definitely wouldn't like another franchise in either Nashville or Charlotte. I don't they'd be able to stop one though. Looks like one of the new teams would be in Montreal anyway.