After operating at 30 teams for a quarter-century, MLB could finally be approaching expansion.

Both MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and predecessor Bud Selig have reiterated that any extensive consideration of league expansion would first require solving problematic stadium issues for both the Rays and Oakland A’s. 

While the A’s situation remains in limbo, there is now an expected $1.2 billion deal for the Tampa Bay Rays to build a new ballpark in St. Petersburg, Florida, with a formal announcement planned for Tuesday.

The Rays’ effort to replace the badly outdated Tropicana Field will center on the development of a 30,000-seat stadium opening in 2028, part of a larger, 86-acre redevelopment of St. Petersburg’s Gas Plant District. The deal would end years of relocation talk involving the Rays and keep MLB in the country’s 13th-largest media market.

“We’ll be sharing a lot with the public tomorrow!” team president Matt Silverman said to Front Office Sports.

On the other side of the country, the A’s have formally submitted their relocation bid to move to Las Vegas and build a new ballpark there, though some questions still surround that effort. 

Should both the Rays and A’s succeed in resolving decades-long facility issues, expansion efforts are expected to quickly escalate around MLB. Already, cities such as Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Montreal, and Portland have either made preliminary pitches or have been discussed as potential candidates.

At the All-Star Game in July, Manfred said MLB was beginning to think more about expansion, which could bring at least several billion dollars in new money into the sport.

“I hope pretty shortly thereafter [completing the A’s and Rays deals], we would put together an expansion committee and start talking about issues associated with expansion,” Manfred said then. 

The lagging process by which Tom Brady will officially acquire a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders — which was agreed to in May — is creating several interesting questions, both on and off the field.

The purchase hasn’t been finalized by the league, and there is no firm timetable to do so, according to NFL Media.

Brady would not be able play for a team if he owned a part of a franchise — sparking fan speculation that Brady is holding up the deal in case he wants to return to playing quarterback somewhere during the 2023 season. 

But there could be more complicated business details behind the scenes. 

Under new rules reportedly passed after Brady agreed to acquire the Raiders stake, Brady would also be unable to work for the Raiders if he held team equity. If Raiders owner Mark Davis had been hoping to add Brady to his front office, he can no longer do so.

How big a stake or how much it would cost Brady is unknown, but with the Raiders’ most recent valuation from Forbes at $6.2 billion, even a half-percent of the team could be worth $31 million.

‘Patriot For Life’

Another reason for the delay could be that Brady has changed his mind about acquiring a stake in the Raiders — potentially in favor of his longtime former NFL club.

Brady got the royal treatment last weekend when the New England Patriots welcomed the superstar back to Foxboro, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion sat with team owner Robert Kraft during the Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. “One thing I’m sure of and that will never change, is that I am a Patriot for life,” Brady said that day.

After weeks of growing optimism, the Baltimore Orioles say talks are in the final stages to keep the team at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Orioles managing partner John Angelos said it’s a “given” the team will remain at Camden Yards and avoid a lapse after the current lease deal expires at the end of the year. The lack of a signed stadium agreement has raised months of local speculation about a potential club relocation.

“The Orioles have a 70-year partnership with the city and the state, and Camden Yards more than 30,” Angelos told The Baltimore Banner. “And we’re going to have 30 more. That’s a given … I have every confidence we’ll get it done.”

The often-reclusive executive made his comments as the Orioles clinched their first playoff appearance since 2016 on Sunday, advancing a remarkable turnaround that has been one of MLB’s leading stories this year. 

The lease deal will open up $600 million in Maryland bond funds for ballpark upgrades. For months, state officials and Angelos have been divided on the scope of the stadium project, with Maryland seeking a narrower agreement and the team interested in a broader, mixed-use development of the Camden Yards area.

A’s Vote This Fall?

The relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas could reach an MLB ownership vote in November, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The proposed club move is under review by a newly established MLB relocation committee led by Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio.

The status of the team’s planned stadium along the Las Vegas Strip, however, remains uncertain, with recent developments including a new effort to force a referendum vote on the public funding in the project, questions on the club’s interim home, and continued fan unrest.