It has been 20 years since the last MLB expansion brought us the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays. Is it time to expand again?
Opening Day was a special moment for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2017 season marks the 20th anniversaries of the debut of both teams. Both began the campaign in style, winning in front of the home fans against decided favorites.
After 20 years, is it time to start thinking about expansion again? The short answer to that question is no. But that’s not a firm no. It’s a no, not yet.
There are a lot of things that Major League Baseball needs to work on before the sport undergoes another expansion, but if all of the pieces come together, expansion might be the best thing that MLB could do. Despite the work that needs to be done, there’s a key benefit in the timing that MLB can use to their advantage.
Let’s break it all down.
Hurry Up Already
One of the big topics of conversation going into the season is the issue of extra innings. Over the past few seasons, a lot has been done to speed up the pace of the game. The addition of the review system has only served to add more time to contests, and the two-minute review period implemented hasn’t really changed anything.
When it comes to extras, the idea is that something must be done to keep games from going into the wee hours of the morning. There have been some interesting ideas tossed around, such as starting extra innings with a runner on second to speed up the scoring drive. In a spring training pregame interview, San Diego Padres manager Andy Green mentioned doing a home run derby to determine the winner, much as soccer has a shootout.
It’s hard to imagine how you can artificially speed up the games that go into extra innings without damaging the integrity of the game. But it is something that needs to be addressed. Four-hour games every few days can be a turnoff to fans.
Before MLB can talk expansion, it needs to figure out how to speed things up. We don’t need to add more teams until we can figure out how to get games done faster.
Keep Building The Excitement
The World Baseball Classic injected some much-needed energy into the final days of spring. This year’s WBC smashed attendance records, and Team USA’s thrilling victory felt like a win at the Olympics. Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon called for the winner of the WBC to play the reigning World Series champions. Let’s make this happen. Let’s keep going with the excitement. Bring your maracas and vuvuzelas to the park. Keep the party going.
Let’s make the World Baseball Classic relevant. Let’s make it rival the Olympics. Remember, baseball returns to the Olympics in 2020 so this year’s WBC was like a warmup to the big event. Is every four years too far apart for people to care? Maybe it goes to every two years.
Major League Baseball has been working to increase viewership with millennials. It’s not uncommon to see Star Wars Night at your local ballpark along with any number of themed nights to increase fan engagement. In March, MLB announced a partnership with Game of Thrones this summer to cross promote the show and the sport. Game of Thrones launches its new season in July, which is right in the middle of baseball season.
It’s not clear how the partnership will work yet, but with slogans like “Baseball is Coming” (a play on the iconic Game of Thrones “Winter is Coming”) it’s clear that this could be a lot of fun for baseball and GoT fans alike.
The baseball’s season goes on for a long time; longer if you count spring training. MLB needs to find ways to keep excitement building throughout the season. Once that happens, it could be a perfect time to expand the league.
Timing Is Everything
I am a native San Diegan. When the Chargers moved to the Los Angeles market, the first thing the Padres organization did was to reach out to Chargers season-ticket holders. San Diego hosted a “Celebrate San Diego” day at Petco Park. Former Chargers fans brought their gear and traded it in for vouchers to buy Padres gear. They were offered free tickets, and special season-ticket plans. The Padres jumped on the moment, and it worked in their favor.
Oakland is now going through what San Diego did, only they have to suffer through two seasons of sharing a house during a drawn out divorce before the Raiders leave for Las Vegas. The Oakland A’s were quick to jump on the moment, offering a new home to former Bay Area Raiders fans. They even have a new hashtag to celebrate their 50th season, and it really works in the new climate of Oakland sports: #RootedInOakland.
While the NFL would like people to think that cities with older stadiums aren’t at risk, the fact is that their actions (and language) are suggesting that cities who don’t pony up the public dollars for a stadium will likely lose their teams. The NFL is shooting itself in the foot right now from a PR standpoint. This is the golden opportunity for Major League Baseball.
Unlike the NFL, which prefers flashy new stadiums, baseball players and fans have a deep rooted appreciation for the history of their ballparks. Yes, new ballparks have been built over the past few years (Yankee Stadium, AT&T Park) but you don’t see Major League Baseball teams threatening to leave if they don’t get what they want. This key difference is what gives baseball a golden opportunity.
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Room For Expansion?
Perhaps this is the open door for expansion. This could be the moment baseball needs. Wait a few years, work out the length of game issues, integrate the World Baseball Classic, entice the millennials and build the fan experience, and then see what the landscape looks like.
I like the math of the current setup. Thirty teams, five teams in each division, it’s nice math. Easy math. Easy math is a good thing. But if the timing was right, Major League Baseball might see more than two teams being added if there are cities losing NFL teams over the next few years. Or maybe there are cities ready to make the move to a professional sports team, and they’re realizing that it’s not worth the hassle of dealing with the NFL. Baseball could make a huge move.
Expansion is not something to be taken lightly, but it’s worth exploring. The Diamondbacks and Rays have been valuable additions, and adding more teams in new markets could be a great move.
But not now.
Not yet.
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