Could the Orioles Move Out of Baltimore in 2024?

[FlipTheBird]

4 hours ago, Rene88 said:

I just heard someone of interest talk about expansion and the cities mentioned were numerous. I think there is no shortage of cities. Montreal, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Portland & the great city of Pasadena, Maryland. Okay, having a little fun with the last one but there are no shortage of cities. I think this person (I wish I could remember) stated that both Tampa and Oakland need to be resolved first before expansion however.

I have brought this up a few times. It scares me to think about but Camden Yards is a treasure so that gives me hope. However, the Orioles need to get their organization structure functional to prevent a move-friendly owner from buying the team. I doubt the Angelos family would move, I can all be guarantee that would not happen. Say what you want about the Angelos family, they wouldn't move the team under their ownership IMO.

As a very new Portland resident, I've been closely following the prospect of an MLB team here. Would be fun.

[NashLumber]

10 hours ago, 24fps said:

I vote for Nashville.  20 minutes away.  WooHoo!  As long as they can field a better team than Vandy that is...

I'm not sure about uncontestable though.  Mlb.tv blacks out St. Louis, Cincy and Atlanta for me.

A friend of mine from there sent me a Nashville Sounds cap this winter. I wear it from time to time. 

 

[MDtransplant757]

5 hours ago, NashLumber said:

The few articles I’ve read have in common the cities of Portland and Montreal as prime options as far as expansion is concerned. Not sure about a team moving, but Charlotte has also been mentioned if you want to count a podcast I’ve heard on the subject. 

Portland i have my doubts on, mainly due to distance to seattle. The Mariners use it as a secondary market. Montreal could be difficult due to paying your players in US and making $ in canadian. Plus the blue jays probably won't let you broadcast in Ontario, which is what killed the expos business wise. Charlotte would mean war with Atlanta due to how close you'd be playing to them, and they don't want to share South Carolina. 

[GuidoSarducci]

5 hours ago, weams said:

Portland would sell out for ten seasons.  And double decker club suites as well. San Jose, Las Vegas, and Mexico City as well.

No one's moving to San Jose anytime soon, not even the A's where you have quite a bit of loyalty there already.  The MLB considers it Giants territory. 

[webbrick2010]

Yes, Baltimore is a shrinking city that does not even provide for the safety of their citizens or baseball fans

Another round of civic unrest which I think likely will further reduce the people willing to visit downtown Baltimore

[cridolphi]

17 hours ago, MDtransplant757 said:

Nashville or Salt Lake City would be my guesses. 2 prime and rapidly expanding markets that would be uncontestable with other teams in the league. 

Being an O's and baseball fan that has lived in Nashville for 17 years, I believe Nashville is primed to get a team either by relocation (Tampa, Oakland) or expansion, which is expected once the issues with the two teams I mentioned are resolved.  Las Vegas is obviously a possibility, but from the extensive reading I've done on the subject, Portland seems to be the overwhelming favorite, followed by Vegas, Nashville, and San Antonio.  I think a 3rd team in Texas is unlikely.  Nashville opened a new AAA stadium downtown a few years back, and I believe they built it with the ability to expand down the road.  The only issue is it would be only 3 hours from Suntrust in Atlanta.

[TouchemAll]

Wow now that would be a kick in the nuts for me, 1st the colts, then the O's.

Nah I don't even want to think about that. Camden Yards is still a top 3 a stadium IMHO?

 

[spiritof66]

1 hour ago, cridolphi said:

Being an O's and baseball fan that has lived in Nashville for 17 years, I believe Nashville is primed to get a team either by relocation (Tampa, Oakland) or expansion, which is expected once the issues with the two teams I mentioned are resolved.  Las Vegas is obviously a possibility, but from the extensive reading I've done on the subject, Portland seems to be the overwhelming favorite, followed by Vegas, Nashville, and San Antonio.  I think a 3rd team in Texas is unlikely.  Nashville opened a new AAA stadium downtown a few years back, and I believe they built it with the ability to expand down the road.  The only issue is it would be only 3 hours from Suntrust in Atlanta.

Miami and Tampa Bay were thought to be great expansion candidates when MLB went there.

Each of these cities would face challenges and present risks. To be successful in a new city, a team has to generate interest, attendance and cable fees for what is very likely a losing team. That's easy to do for a few years, but harder after the novelty and civic pride wear thin. Some of these cities just aren't that big. Expansion to others would hurt an existing team. Others have a very limited tradition of baseball from which to build a fan base. 

The owners want to keep the most promising, least risky cities for MLB expansion, for which they will charge the new franchises many millions of dollars. They might be persuaded to let Oakland or Tampa, relocating pretty much out of necessity because they can't wangle a new stadium, skim off the top pick or two, but Baltimore? Very doubtful.

[Moose Milligan]

No, stop it.  A team with this tradition (although most of it comes from '66-'83) and history doesn't get moved.  It's not the Expos.  It's not the San Diego Padres almost moving to DC.  Angelos, for all his many faults, wouldn't take a team out of Baltimore (if he's still around.  I don't think his kids would either).

Camden Yards is a treasure and won't go empty.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

8 hours ago, GuidoSarducci said:

No one's moving to San Jose anytime soon, not even the A's where you have quite a bit of loyalty there already.  The MLB considers it Giants territory. 

Which is crazy because it takes 2 hours in rush hour to drive to San Francisco from San Jose.

[GuidoSarducci]

1 hour ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Which is crazy because it takes 2 hours in rush hour to drive to San Francisco from San Jose.

If you can catch the CalTrain baby bullet, its only an hour.   The bigger issue is the TV market. 

[FlipTheBird]

11 hours ago, MDtransplant757 said:

Portland i have my doubts on, mainly due to distance to seattle. The Mariners use it as a secondary market. Montreal could be difficult due to paying your players in US and making $ in canadian. Plus the blue jays probably won't let you broadcast in Ontario, which is what killed the expos business wise. Charlotte would mean war with Atlanta due to how close you'd be playing to them, and they don't want to share South Carolina. 

I don't know if this logic is sound, though. EVERYWHERE worth putting a team is someone else's market at the moment. To avoid that conundrum they'd have to put a franchise in Missoula, Montana.

Portland is three full hours from Seattle on a good day, and has a very dedicated fan presence. It'd take to an MLB team in a heartbeat, and I don't know that it'd eat too much into the Mariners as is. Lord knows MLB is willing to move teams even closer, ala the Nats.

[TradeAngelos]

This is the most preposterous piece of "journalism" I have ever seen. It wasn't good enough to claim the Orioles would be "financially ruined" from the huge court battle, he went even further to say that the team will have to MOVE to another city because of it. What planet does this guy live on? Schmuck is the biggest Angelos apologist I have ever seen lately. Every tweet or article he writes makes me want to vomit, so sick of the media in this town. They are part of the reason why this dictator that owns the team has been able to operate completely unchecked for the most part, and run this franchise straight into the ground. 

[MDtransplant757]

4 hours ago, TradeAngelos said:

This is the most preposterous piece of "journalism" I have ever seen. It wasn't good enough to claim the Orioles would be "financially ruined" from the huge court battle, he went even further to say that the team will have to MOVE to another city because of it. What planet does this guy live on? Schmuck is the biggest Angelos apologist I have ever seen lately. Every tweet or article he writes makes me want to vomit, so sick of the media in this town. They are part of the reason why this dictator that owns the team has been able to operate completely unchecked for the most part, and run this franchise straight into the ground. 

Hi Nestor. How’s WNST doing without all the “talent” you shipped off? 

[weams]

18 hours ago, FlipTheBird said:

As a very new Portland resident, I've been closely following the prospect of an MLB team here. Would be fun.

You will get one.