The Push Is On To Bring A Major League Baseball Team To This Texas City

The last time Major League Baseball expanded was 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays were founded. MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has already stated that he'd like to begin the process of expanding the league to 32 teams by the time his term ends in 2029.

With Arlington and Houston already having teams, could Texas handle a third team? A new group based out of the state capital believes it can.

The Austin Baseball Commission Was Created To Bring MLB To Austin.

The organization, co-founded by local tech sales executive Derrik Fox and Austin native and corporate communications professional Matt Mackowiak, was formed to detail their plan to bring an MLB expansion team to Austin.

The commissions goals is to gather parties in one place and show the MLB commissioner that an Austin baseball team has the financial backing and fan interest to sustain an organization.

Austin is one of the largest markets in the U.S. without an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL team.

Central Texas has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the country but The Texas Longhorns and MLS Austin FC dominate the attention of most of the area's sports fans. The Rangers' Triple AAA affiliate, the Round Rock Express, plays just north of the city.

With Austin's population expanding to a million people as well as San Antonio being an hour away, they believe an MLB franchise could be strongly supported in the spring and summer when college football and MLS is in its off seasons.

Austin is on a short list for expansion that includes, Nashville, Portland and Salt Lake City.

But In order for expansion to even be considered, there must be enough ground support and a wealthy ambassador who is willing to back the team. The Rays and Diamondbacks paid $130 million to join back in the '90s. Manfred has suggested that a new team's expansion fee may top $2 billion when all is said and done.

So who's going to pony up the dough to make it happen? We'll see, but if you're interested, you can go to the commissions website for more details.

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