Celebrity Dodgers Fan Interested in Bringing MLB Expansion to Nashville

Can one country singer bring MLB into his Southern Comfort Zone?

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (left) greets country music artist Brad Paisley before game two of the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2017. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Dodgers raised their 2025 World Series banner, Brad Paisley was there to sing the National Anthem. When the Dodgers wanted to make a deal at the 2023 Winter Meetings in Nashville, Paisley invited their front office as well as Tampa Bay Rays executive Erik Neander. The Tyler Glasnow trade was soon in place.

Paisley is more than just country music's No. 1 baseball fan. He's arguably the most visible and vocal celebrity Dodger fan of any stripe.

The kid from West Virginia who frequented Dodger Stadium when he and his wife owned a home in the Los Angeles area from 2004-13 might go even bigger for his next act. According to Alanna Rizzo, Paisley is at least interested in bringing an MLB team to Nashville if he gets the chance.

"I had a conversation the other day with Brad Paisley — I'm name dropping here — I said, 'Hey, if a team goes, why don't you buy a team in Nashville, and then I'll be your sideline reporter,'" Rizzo said. "And he said he would do it. He said that he needs to get a group of owners together, though, to bring a team to Nashville and then maybe we can all go to a live concert after that.”

A major professional sports franchise is no small expenditure. The San Diego Padres set a record when the family of Peter Seidler agreed in April to sell to a consortium led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. Once it's official, the sale will value the franchise at $3.9 billion.

The Padres play in the country's 30th-largest media market. Nashville ranks 25th. Paisley knows he better pony up.

Money isn't the only determining factor. Several cities are lining up their bids for when MLB gives the green light to expand beyond 30 teams, a number that's held steady since 1998.

Whether he eventually owns a team or not, Paisley already holds a unique place in baseball history. He performed the National Anthem prior to the 18-inning Game 3 of the 2025 World Series and the 18-inning Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, both won by the Dodgers.

"It’s what Brad Pitt says in Moneyball," Paisley told the AP last year. "It’s like, 'How can you not be romantic about baseball?' I should be 'Mr. More Baseball.' There’s the new nickname."

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