Advertisement

Commissioner Manfred eyes Montreal, Mexico City for MLB expansion

The topic of expansion is one that baseball fans are always interested to hear MLB commissioner Rob Manfred weigh in on. During an appearance in the Chicago White Sox television booth on Thursday, he did just that, even providing details on where he'd like to see the game expand and what needs to happen before it can be seriously considered.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

Of note, Manfred cited Montreal and Mexico City as his personal favorite potential expansion targets. That doesn't necessarily mean baseball is headed to those markets anytime soon, of course, but it does indicate Manfred will fight hardest for those cities unless stronger options emerge. Given his position and his power, his opinions obviously hold some significance.

(The Canadian Press via AP)
(The Canadian Press via AP)

Just hearing Montreal mentioned is enough to make baseball fans perk up. Since the Expos relocated to Washington in 2004, fans have been pushing for its return. The idea has gained more momentum is recent years with rumors about the Tampa Bay Rays looking to relocate to Montreal. Olympic Stadium has hosted sold out exhibition games featuring the Toronto Blue Jays each of the last three seasons, which shows there's a baseball buzz in Montreal that will not die.

With that in mind, and with Montreal's already well-establish baseball history, there's plenty of reason to believe it would be high on everybody's list.

As for Mexico City, Manfred has made his desire to expand into Mexico very clear since taking over as commissioner. Putting a baseball team in the heart of its capital city would be the biggest footprint he could possibly make.

[Elsewhere: Views from the 66: Yasiel Puig goes skywalking in Toronto]

Before we get too far ahead though, there are several issues Manfred is aiming to take care of first. Chief among them will be finalizing a collective bargaining agreement, which is something he hopes to have done before the 2016 season ends. From there, Manfred is aiming to settle the murky stadium situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg.

Once there's a firm answer to both, Manfred will have a better perspective of the landscape and whether or not expansion is feasible, or even needed in baseball's short-term future.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!