Nashville, Salt Lake City Are The ‘Two Heavy Favorites’ To Land MLB Expansion Franchises: REPORT

Meh … Major League Baseball can do better than this.

When the commissioner of the league, Rob Manfred, yet again spoke about the possibility of adding expansion franchises, it sent the world of baseball into a whirlwind.

But if you pay attention to baseball like I do, you’re very well aware that this isn’t a new thing. On prior occasions, Manfred has talked about his wish to bring two more clubs into MLB, and in response, several cities have already positioned themselves with ownership groups dishing out bids and possible stadium sites. Some of the cities that have been mentioned are: Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Montreal, Austin, San Jose and Portland. (Portland?!) (RELATED: We’re Getting Closer And Closer To Athletics Being In Las Vegas)

Well, a new report is suggesting that Major League Baseball might already know where their expansion clubs will be, and that Manfred has even talked with team owners about it.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, MLB’s expansion is “scheduled” for either 2031 or 2032. And here’s where it gets juicy: Per Nightengale, Manfred has informed owners — all 30 of them — that “Salt Lake City and Nashville” are the “two heavy favorites.”

As the conversation about MLB expansion and realignment picks up publicly, here’s a progress report from six cities actively working toward landing a team.

• Nashville
• Salt Lake City
• Portland
• Raleigh
• Orlando
• Austinhttps://t.co/3OKTTgU7Y8 pic.twitter.com/kwboc9X3Gz

— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) August 27, 2025

As a proud Florida man, I’m pushing for Orlando, and since we’re on the subject, why not Jacksonville?