How Utah climbed to the top of MLB expansion conversation

SALT LAKE CITY — If Major League Baseball finally expands for the first time since 1998, Utah is no longer a long shot. It is squarely in the middle of the conversation.

That conversation picked up even more steam this week when USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale reported that Utah and Nashville are viewed as the “heavy favorites” for the league’s 31st and 32nd franchises.

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While cities like Portland and Sacramento are preparing their bids for potential MLB expansion sites in 2031 or later, they might be wasting their time. If MLB indeed expands, Salt Lake City and Nashville are the heavy favorites.

Nothing has been awarded, and the timeline remains uncertain, but commissioner Rob Manfred has made clear expansion is a goal he would like to see advanced before his tenure ends in January 2029.

So why has Utah surged to the front of the line ahead of other frequently mentioned markets, such as Sacramento, Portland, and Vancouver?

Big League Utah puts the state at the forefront of MLB expansion discussion

For years, Salt Lake City was more a baseball waypoint than a destination, a place better known for minor league stops than major league ambition. That has changed quickly.

With Big League Utah, the state has built an organized, public-facing coalition designed to show MLB that this is not a speculative dream but a market poised to secure a seat at the table.

Announced in April 2023, the effort is financially backed by Larry H. Miller Sports + Entertainment, a name that carries weight in Utah sports after decades of ownership of the Utah Jazz and Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

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“We believe in the power of sports to elevate and unify communities,” Larry H. Miller Company co-founder Gail Miller said at the time. “Larry and I risked everything to acquire the Utah Jazz, and it was a tremendous honor to ensure it thrived as a model franchise. We now have an opportunity to welcome Major League Baseball to Utah and invite all Utahns to join us in this effort.”

Former major leaguers Dale Murphy and Jeremy Guthrie have helped give the bid credibility, while local business leaders and public officials have added another important element: visible, coordinated support.

That combination of money, name recognition, and civic backing is part of what has made Utah’s push feel different from a typical expansion wish list. The bid is not just selling interest in baseball; it is selling readiness.

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Just as important, Big League Utah moved quickly on the stadium question. The group secured public funding support for a future ballpark at the shovel-ready downtown site known as the Power District, giving Utah one of the clearest infrastructure cases among expansion hopefuls.

For MLB, that matters.

Utah offers a growing market, an ownership group with resources, and an opportunity to plant the sport on new ground without dramatically cutting into the existing fan bases of nearby franchises.

In an expansion race built on vision and viability, that is why Utah has become impossible to ignore.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24. 

Find KSL Sports coverage of Locals in MLB here.

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