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SALT LAKE CITY — Major League Baseball has yet to formally decide whether it will expand, but league commissioner Rob Manfred offered a bit of a broad timeline of when he would like the league to add two new teams after MLB's owners meeting wrapped up Thursday.
Manfred told reporters he'd like to see the expansion process begin sometime within his current contract as MLB commissioner, even if he isn't in that role by the time those teams play. His contract wraps up at the end of the 2028 season, and the Associated Press reports that 2029 may be the earliest that two new teams join the league.
"Look, I've got five left, this year and four more," he said, according to the outlet. "Those teams, even if I push the issue, they won't be playing by the time I'm done. But I would like the process, along, hopefully selected."
Chelsea Janes, with the Washington Post, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Manfred also indicated the league wants to settle its media rights situation before he brings any proposal to the 30 existing team owners.
He didn't seem to indicate whether there is a city the league has in mind as the expansion process picks up.
The update comes a day after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed SCR3, a resolution to support efforts to bring an MLB team to Salt Lake City, as Utah seeks to bolster its case to the league. While the measure, which the Utah Legislature passed it last week, doesn't add much to what's already known about Utah's bid, it does signal the unified and bipartisan effort to bring in a team.
The coalition Big League Utah, led by Larry H. Miller Company executives, first announced efforts to bring a team to Salt Lake City's forthcoming "Power District" last year. Several other cities are also vying for an expansion team.
Of course, Utah could temporarily receive an MLB team before that. A new stadium that the Miller Company is building in South Jordan's Daybreak community remains one of the options that the Oakland Athletics are considering for a temporary home after the team's lease in Oakland expires at the end of this season and before its new stadium in Las Vegas opens, possibly in 2028.
Manfred weighed in on the A's future Thursday, saying he would be "disappointed" if the A's don't open a new stadium by 2028. He added that he believes the team will have a temporary location figured out in the coming months.
"I'm comfortable with where they are in the process," he said. "They have options and, you know, I think they're doing a good job of exploring them and making sure we find the best possible opportunity."
Contributing: Associated Press
