ESPN’s Jeff Passan puts Salt Lake City at front of MLB expansion race

Salt Lake City has emerged as a leading contender for a potential Major League Baseball expansion franchise, according to new reporting from ESPN. Photo: Unsplash // Lesly Juarez

Utah has ownership, stadium funding and a site in place as Major League Baseball moves closer to potential expansion

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has emerged as the leading Western candidate for a potential Major League Baseball expansion team, according to new reporting from ESPN senior MLB insider Jeff Passan.

In a Sept. 8 analysis of six potential expansion markets, Passan called Salt Lake City the “favorite to snag the Western slot” and described Utah’s effort as the most advanced potential bid among the cities he examined.

The assessment is Passan’s, not an official designation from Major League Baseball. MLB has not yet opened a formal expansion process.

Passan reported that Salt Lake City has three key pieces already in place: a prospective ownership group, stadium funding and a stadium site. Big League Utah is leading the effort, with the Larry H. Miller Company positioned as the prospective owner.

According to ESPN, the Miller company has pledged $3.5 billion toward a 100-acre mixed-use development, while $900 million in state funding is intended to cover half the cost of a potential stadium. The proposed ballpark would be located in the Power District on Salt Lake City’s west side, where construction is already underway.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he wants two expansion cities, one in the West and one in the East, selected before his planned retirement in January 2029, Passan reported.

Before expansion moves forward, MLB is expected to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Passan reported that expansion is expected to move onto the league’s agenda after that agreement is reached.

Gov. Spencer Cox, a member of Big League Utah’s advisory board, also spoke with ESPN as part of Passan’s examination of the potential markets.

Cox argued that Utah’s relatively small media market does not fully reflect the state’s ability to support professional sports, pointing to the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth.

ESPN lists Salt Lake City as the nation’s 28th-largest media market. Passan wrote that the Jazz and Mammoth’s success strengthens Utah’s case despite the smaller market.

Portland, Oregon, appears to be Salt Lake City’s strongest Western competition. ESPN reported that Portland has a stadium site and up to $800 million in public stadium funding, but does not yet have an anchor owner.

Passan also examined Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Montreal.

An expansion fee is expected to be in the range of $2.5 billion, according to ESPN, and Passan reported that new teams may not begin play until around 2032.

For now, MLB has not decided on expansion cities. But Utah enters the potential process with an ownership group, financing, and a stadium site already in place.