Major League Baseball franchises in Florida have not profited particularly well, but that’s not stopping a former sports executive from pitching another Florida city as the home of the next MLB expansion.
Pat Williams, one of the drivers of the 1989 Orlando Magic NBA expansion team, is leading a group that’s pushing for a $1.7 billion stadium in Orlando to help leverage the city’s MLB expansion bid.
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The ‘Dreamers’ is the moniker for the Orlando baseball franchise.
Williams and his group conducted a study for his pitch. The stadium would seat 45,000 and the group plans to build 1,000 hotel rooms next to it. This would create 20,000 jobs and have an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion for the region.
The pitch for an Orlando-based team is particularly interesting as the state of Florida is already home to two MLB franchises who have both struggled. The Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins have had two of the lowest attendances in the league over the last several years.
The Rays, who currently have the best record in the league, have been rumored to be looking for a new city. Their situation is similar to the Oakland Athletics, who may be moving to Las Vegas sometime in the future.
The MLB is looking to add two additional teams within the decade, and several cities, such as Nashville and Salt Lake City, are campaigning for their shot at a franchise.
Early reviews of the MLB’s 2023 rule changes, highlighted by the presence of a pitch clock to speed up the game, have brought more fans to arenas.
