Fansided

Montreal takes case for MLB team to MLB commissioner

By Kyle Franzoni

Apr 4, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; The Cincinnati Reds practice before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; The Cincinnati Reds practice before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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The City of Montreal wants to see another Major League Baseball franchise come to Quebec, and they are pleading their case to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

The first go-round with a Major League Baseball franchise ended poorly for the City of Montreal. The city is convinced that if they were given a second chance, things would be quite different.

Meeting with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre intends to make the case for professional baseball to return to the second largest city in Canada. Chief among the points that Coderre will need to make is whether or not the city can sustain a team the second time around.

"“This is going to be our first meeting. I want to show him our love of baseball, the fact that the political will is there to make this happen. I’m not going to negotiate publicly, but I’m going to send the strong message that we have the tools. I’m going to show him that we’re serious.” (h/t Fox Sports)"

Attendance was an issue for the Montreal Expos throughout the team’s existence in Montreal. The team drew quite well for a stretch starting in 1979 and ending in 1983, averaging roughly 27,000 fans per game during that stretch. Attendance fluctuated up and down until 1992, when a more competitive team started bringing fans back out to the park. From 1992 through 1994, the team drew an average of 21,000 per game.

However, the work stoppage in 1994 possibly led to some bitter feelings among Montreal baseball fans. The Expos were sporting the best record in the game (74-40) when the season ended due to the players striking on August 12, 1994. With the Expos pegged as the potential favorites for the World Series that year, fans were not eager to return. Additionally, money issues with the ownership group forced the team to star selling off its star players, something that became routine in the latter years of the franchise and eventually led to Major League Baseball first buying the team and then relocating it to Washington and selling the then Nationals to a new ownership group.

But the past is in the past, and Montreal is again eager to have baseball again. The city showed their love for the game each of the last two years, when the country’s other MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays, played two exhibition series at Olympic Stadium. In those series, the games drew an average attendance of over 45,000 fans per game, with many of them sporting their Montreal Expos gear.

Now, the biggest hurdle will be how a team will be awarded to Montreal. Major League Baseball is not really in the position to expand the league yet again, so any team coming to Montreal will need to require one of the existing 30 franchises to move north of the border. Of the teams with the lowest attendance in baseball last season, the Tampa Bay Rays (29th, 17,858 per game) and the Oakland Athletics (24th, 24,736 per game) have had issues getting new stadiums approved in their respective homes and have mentioned relocation in the past. Of those two teams, the Rays have been the most often connected with the Montreal contingent, including owner Stuart Sternberg discussing it with potential investors.

There are still a lot of hurdles to overcome, but Montreal is doing all the right things to gain a franchise again. Now, all they need to do is convince the commissioner, the MLB owners, and convince a team that the dream is valid.

Vive les Expos!

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