Topic Retitled: Regional Team Affiliations

[DavidGee24]

Man, that is just crazy what the Rays want to do. It would be one thing if it were regional, like playing some home games in Orlando, but Montreal? And this is contingent on Montreal building a new ballpark. Which would be nice because when MLB next expands Montreal should be #1 on the list. Then maybe Portland or Charlotte.

Just really weird. Remember the Kansas City/Omaha Kings in the 70s?

[Hanjag]

Man, that is just crazy what the Rays want to do. It would be one thing if it were regional, like playing some home games in Orlando, but Montreal? And this is contingent on Montreal building a new ballpark. Which would be nice because when MLB next expands Montreal should be #1 on the list. Then maybe Portland or Charlotte.

Just really weird. Remember the Kansas City/Omaha Kings in the 70s?

It is not as weird or new as you might think. When Montreal had attendance dip below 10k they moved 22 "home games" to San Juan Puerto Rico in 2003 and 2004. Both Vancouver and Portland are on Manfred's list of potential expansion cities what better way to gauge than exposing the fan base to owning a home series or two from regional teams.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2016/04/22/mlb-e ... e-portland

The top destinations were
Mexico City
Montreal
Vancouver
Charlotte
Portland
This list is by no means comprehensive. Other cities often mentioned in such discussions include Las Vegas (2.11 million, 29th in the U.S.), Columbus, Ohio (2.02 million, 32nd), Nashville (1.83 million, 36th in U.S.) and New Orleans (1.23 million, 46th in the U.S.), as well as the aforementioned San Antonio and Monterrey options. Las Vegas currently has no big four teams, but while a major league team could become a big draw in the entertainment-minded city, the state’s legal gambling industry could pose a security risk for MLB. Columbus has NHL and MLS teams and also plays host to Ohio State University. Nashville has NHL and NFL teams as well as Vanderbilt University. New Orleans has NFL and NBA teams. Havana (2.14 million) is fun to think about given its rich baseball history, but the political and economic obstacles are so great that it will be decades before it could even possibly become an option.

[DavidGee24]

Vegas has the Golden Knights and soon the Raiders.

[Double Mocha Man]

GDP per capita is wildly different but the Miami Herald produced this report on Cuban take-home.In 2016, the Miami Herald wrote, "... about 27 percent of Cubans earn under $50 per month; 34 percent earn the equivalent of $50 to $100 per month; and 20 percent earn $101 to $200. Twelve percent reported earning $201 to $500 a month; and almost 4 percent said their monthly earnings topped $500, including 1.5 percent who said they earned more than $1,000."

There you go! Tickets for two, beers and garlic fries and the monthly income is gone. But just imagine the aroma of cigar smoke in the air...

[Hanjag]

GDP per capita is wildly different but the Miami Herald produced this report on Cuban take-home.In 2016, the Miami Herald wrote, "... about 27 percent of Cubans earn under $50 per month; 34 percent earn the equivalent of $50 to $100 per month; and 20 percent earn $101 to $200. Twelve percent reported earning $201 to $500 a month; and almost 4 percent said their monthly earnings topped $500, including 1.5 percent who said they earned more than $1,000."

There you go! Tickets for two, beers and garlic fries and the monthly income is gone. But just imagine the aroma of cigar smoke in the air...

I really think the MLB should mandate that Tampa play a few series in San Juan and Miami Havana. I think an excuse for Americans to re-emphasize Cuba as a cultural, foodie, beech, and yes baseball quick trip could go a long way to revitalizing that economy. I think TB would benefit short run by attention and fun factor. I think they would also be viewed as a bridge builder and uplifting force for the downtrodden. Toronto and Detroit split home and home series to check the baseball pulse in Montreal. Seattle and Toronto play home and away games in Vancouver to take that pulse. Seattle and the Rockies or Giants do a series in Portland. All the way through Vegas gets a dodger-A's, Austin Ranger-Astros. Memphis ATl Vs StL. Mexico City Az vs LAD ( Fernando Valenzuela).

[Petert]

GDP per capita is wildly different but the Miami Herald produced this report on Cuban take-home.In 2016, the Miami Herald wrote, "... about 27 percent of Cubans earn under $50 per month; 34 percent earn the equivalent of $50 to $100 per month; and 20 percent earn $101 to $200. Twelve percent reported earning $201 to $500 a month; and almost 4 percent said their monthly earnings topped $500, including 1.5 percent who said they earned more than $1,000."

There you go! Tickets for two, beers and garlic fries and the monthly income is gone. But just imagine the aroma of cigar smoke in the air...

I really think the MLB should mandate that Tampa play a few series in San Juan and Miami Havana. I think an excuse for Americans to re-emphasize Cuba as a cultural, foodie, beech, and yes baseball quick trip could go a long way to revitalizing that economy. I think TB would benefit short run by attention and fun factor. I think they would also be viewed as a bridge builder and uplifting force for the downtrodden. Toronto and Detroit split home and home series to check the baseball pulse in Montreal. Seattle and Toronto play home and away games in Vancouver to take that pulse. Seattle and the Rockies or Giants do a series in Portland. All the way through Vegas gets a dodger-A's, Austin Ranger-Astros. Memphis ATl Vs StL. Mexico City Az vs LAD ( Fernando Valenzuela).

In an ideal world, it’s a great concept. It already happens to a very limited extent with Japan. But I think that in order to be more realistic, it has to be done on a more invested (ie more scheduled games) basis.

Some cities’ playing fields/stadiums will need to be brought up to major league standards, and very limited schedules may not be enough of a revenue enticement to float public or private funding to undertake those costs. (Some of us likely still remember Edgar’s ‘93 season being gimped by pulling a hamstring in an exhibition game in Vancouver, and Piniella, among others, blaming the field condition.)

There’s also politics to consider, unfortunately. An administration would have to be amenable to a Cuban or Mexican or Venezuelan ‘timeshare’ arrangement with MLB.

But I really like the concept.

[Donn Beach]

play MLB games in Havana?....there is still a trade embargo in place, doubt you get that past the State department

[Double Mocha Man]

play MLB games in Havana?....there is still a trade embargo in place, doubt you get that past the State department

Well, MLB could still play there but no player trades would be allowed.

[Jack Merridew]

It's highly unlikely that Cuba would allow a MLB team to locate in their country, even on a partial basis where they share a team. Their government is not pro-America or our values. Quite the opposite. I wouls be worried about the safety of any American player forced to stay there for any extended period of time.

[D-train]

Rays should just move to Jacksonville or Orlando. True fans in TB can still go to games with a relatively easy 2-3 hour drive just like Charger fans.