Should the Oakland Athletics relocate to Las Vegas, what's going to happen to the Triple-A team in Las Vegas? Will they be relocated somewhere else? And what does that do to the MLB's expansion plans? Will the MLB still expand into Portland? If Portland is team 31, who is team 32?

Maybe move the AAA team to Reno?

Team #32: Charlotte or Nashville

There already is a AAA team in Reno. The Reno Aces actually won the Pacific Coast League in 2022.

The easiest thing to do, especially on short notice, would be to move them to Oakland. The stadium could then be downsized to better suit the AAA team.

The more just solution would be to move the AAA Las Vegas team to Fresno, which was demoted to A in 2021. The A team in Fresno would move to Lancaster as a replacement for the JetHawks, who did not survive the 2021 contraction of the Minors.

For MLB and MiLB expansion to work in harmony, either both teams will be out west, are neither of them will be out west. There are 10 teams currently in the Western Division of each Major League, and 10 teams in the Pacific Coast League. The only way I would see that happening is expansion to Portland and San Antonio. The Pacific Coast League would then add Fresno (currently in A) and Wichita (currently in AA). The Texas League, which now needs to replace San Antonio and Wichita, adds teams in Beaumont and Harlingen, and then grows to 12 to accommodate the two new farm systems with teams in New Orleans and Lafayette in Louisiana. The A team in Fresno moves to Lancaster. The Class A Advanced team in Hillsboro probably stays put even with a MLB club a few miles away in Portland. There isn't the symmetry at the Class A and A Advanced levels, so where new minor league teams get created could be anyone's guess.

While I am not a MLB fan, I can't fathom how NC doesn't have a MLB team yet. Relocation or expansion.

The A's have been wanting a new stadium for forever but I am kind of surprised that all of a sudden Vegas is racking up pro teams and how "tinfoil hat-ish" it comes with moves about gambling and fantasy picking up everywhere in sports. The Knights have worked out great. Raiders TBD. I bet they get a NBA/WNBA team soon... MLB would be the only one left at that point.

Vegas already has a WNBA team

(11-06-2022 04:48 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  While I am not a MLB fan, I can't fathom how NC doesn't have a MLB team yet. Relocation or expansion.

The A's have been wanting a new stadium for forever but I am kind of surprised that all of a sudden Vegas is racking up pro teams and how "tinfoil hat-ish" it comes with moves about gambling and fantasy picking up everywhere in sports. The Knights have worked out great. Raiders TBD. I bet they get a NBA/WNBA team soon... MLB would be the only one left at that point.

I would not rule out Charlotte to MLB at some point. Getting the Athletics to settle down in Las Vegas or Oakland will put a lot more focus on the Rays. The Rays either need to recommit to St. Petersburg or move. The Braves' presence will give Charlotte some headwinds, but my hunch is that if the Rays move to Charlotte, the Braves will want a generous slice of the Rays' old TV territory. The Rays may very well be amenable to that if it gets them in Charlotte. The same would also apply if the Rays move to Nashville, although now you risk no votes from the Reds and Cardinals (and maybe even the Rangers and Royals).

(11-06-2022 09:03 PM)Erictelevision Wrote:  Vegas already has a WNBA team

Aces right?

(11-08-2022 01:48 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  

(11-06-2022 09:03 PM)Erictelevision Wrote:  Vegas already has a WNBA team

Aces right?

Yup