540,000-strong city facing immediate MLB expansion snub as owners ready to dash ‘stupid’ $6bn dream

Jun 1, 2026 - 09:00

Sacramento is dead set on trying to bring a Major League Baseball expansion team to the city.

But not so fast, if it’s left to some MLB executives.

A general view of the Sacramento jersey worn by Tyler Soderstrom #21 of the Athletics during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Sutter Health Park on May 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. — The city of Sacramento have formally launched their bid to become one of the MLB’s next expansion teams

In a press conference on Thursday, the West Coast city with a population of around 540,000 formally unveiled plans to bid for an MLB expansion team.

This comes after having enjoyed hosting the Athletics, who have currently set up shop in Sacramento as they await the completion of their $2 billion ballpark in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sacramento went all out for their press conference, brandishing baseball caps, balloons, and even had future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker in attendance in their bid to show off that they not only have the land to have their own team, but also the money.

As part of their expansion proposal, they presented a project that would see them construct a brand new 35,000-40,000-seat ballpark.

The proposed location for this would be on the West Sacramento site of Sutter Heath Park, which is currently home to the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats.

But some MLB owners and executives are of the belief that the MLB are not yet ready to expand up from its current 30 teams, with Portland, Nashville and Salt Lake City other possible expansion destinations.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen, I really don’t,” one longtime MLB executive reportedl y told USA TODAY Sports.

“It’s not anything that’s being discussed right now, I know that,” another revealed.

“Expansion would just be stupid,” a third weighed in.

Expanding the league would be welcomed by the players’ union due to the jobs it would create, as well as expansion fees expected to be within the $3 billion mark.

If successful, the city will build a brand new 40,000 seat balpark and surrounding district

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Commissioner Manfred is excited about the possibility of adding new teams to the MLB

Perhaps nobody wants it more than MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who could strengthen his legacy before he departs office in January 2029.

“When people want your product,” Manfred said recently on The Pat McAfee Show. “I think it’s kind of incumbent on you to try to figure out a way if you can deliver that product to them.”

However, some executives have made the argument that bringing a team to a market like Sacramento, which is viewed as far inferior compared to the likes of the metropolitan areas of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, would be pointless from a financial standpoint.

“Why would we want to subsidize two more small-market teams?” one executive added. “I don’t understand it. The economics don’t add up.”

“Those teams certainly won’t be paying money into revenue sharing so it will be less money for everyone else,” another said. “What’s the added benefit, to get more fans engaged?

“I’m not sure expansion will drive fan engagement in either market. So, we’ll see what happens once our labor deal is done. But I really don’t understand the logic for expansion, at least not yet.”

Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge weighed in on the possibility that his home city gets awarded an MLB expansion franchise

Aaron Judge weighs in on potential expansion

Aaron Judge is one of the biggest stars in baseball, and the seven-time All-Star with the New York Yankees was also born in Sacramento.

Following the Yankees’ 8-2 series-opening win over the A’s on Friday night, the 34-year-old was asked by local beat reporter Kirsten Moran-Keller to share his thoughts about the potential MLB expansion in Sacramento.

“They have some good people there and it’s exciting,” Judge said. “Northern California is a great baseball town, baseball city, especially here in Sacramento.

“A lot of good history so hopefully, they get the bid. We’ll see what happens.

“I know that they’re going up against some other good cities, but you’ve got to have some good baseball up here in northern California,” he added with a smile.

“It’s going to be tough [to get the bid accepted]. I’m really not sure how it’s going to go.

“I know the owners and everybody has got to vote on it. Maybe our [Yankees] owner will like seeing us up here in Sacramento if we keep winning games like this. So we’ll see.”

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