Rob Manfred: Montreal, Portland, Charlotte interested in MLB teams
Speaking at a meeting with players in San Francisco on Thursday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Montreal, Portland, Ore. and Charlotte, N.C., have "maintained recent interest in expansion," according to a report from CSN Bay Area.
In February, just days after officially assuming his role as commissioner, Manfred discussed his intention to expand the game internationally with the Los Angeles Times, expressing his interest in franchises in Montreal as well as Mexico.
That report also listed Portland, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Nev., and San Antonio, Texas, as interested markets. Manfred said in February that there had not been much talk of expansion at that time.
• MLB Awards watch: Kipnis takes AL lead, Harper tops NL
Montreal was home to the Expos from 1969 until 2004, when the franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., amidst ownership struggles and concerns over Olympic Stadium.
Portland, lost its most-recent iteration of a professional baseball team, the Triple-A Portland Beavers, to relocation in 2010. The Beavers franchise has relocated to, then away from Portland three separate times since 1972. The city was rumored to be a potential landing spot for the Expos franchise before it was awarded to Washington, D.C.
Charlotte, meanwhile, has hosted the now-Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate since the 1976 season and opened a new 10,000-seat baseball stadium, BB&T Ballpark, in March 2014.
