MLB Expansion: Vancouver makes a move, but Utah has the head start
Apr 24, 2026, 11:33 AM | Updated: Apr 27, 2026, 8:47 am
SALT LAKE CITY – Big League Utah still looks like the front-runner in the MLB expansion derby—but a new western city just stepped up to the starting gate.
KSL.com’s Carter Williams reported that Vancouver officials passed a motion on April 22 to explore a bid for an expansion franchise.
RELATED: All the pieces in place as Big League Utah pushes for MLB expansion
Vancouver should become the next home of a Major League Baseball team.
With the MLB publicly expressing interest in expansion in the near future, we see an opportunity to position our city as the next home for a franchise.
This could be an opportunity to bring something truly… pic.twitter.com/wB35VrX8Cb
— Mayor Ken Sim (@KenSimCity) April 14, 2026
“In anticipation of Major League Baseball (MLB) opening up a formal expansion process, a proponent group has signaled interest in exploring a bid for Vancouver,” the motion read. “Given the magnitude of the opportunity, undertaking an open, transparent, and competitive Expression of Interest (EOI) process is the appropriate mechanism to identify and evaluate any prospective proponent group and associated development concept.”
Geographically, Vancouver jumps into the same lane as Portland as a direct challenger to Utah for any western-based expansion franchise.
But on the field of play—read: money, land, and political lift—Vancouver’s move doesn’t sniff the momentum Big League Utah has stacked since 2023.
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Vancouver’s in the chat. Utah’s on deck.
Using a familiar baseball analogy, Big League Utah (BLU) is the polished Double-A stud—five tools, clean mechanics, and a locker already labeled for The Show. They’re not dreaming on upside; they’re waiting on the call.
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Vancouver, meanwhile, is the intriguing flyer in minor-league camp—new stance, new story, and still hunting for a clear path to the roster.
BLU already has the basics that win in this league—ownership muscle and a shovel-ready stadium site. Vancouver just walked into the batting cage.
BLU’s edge: Larry H. Miller Co. ownership, land, and political horsepower
Start with the heavy hitters: the Larry H. Miller Company is in as ownership, and Utah has a 100-acre stadium site ready to go. That’s a massive head start on a Vancouver bid that’s still in the earliest innings.
“Most expansion candidates don’t have a location, they don’t have public-private partnerships, they don’t have an ownership group,” Larry H. Miller Company CEO Steve Starks told KSL Sports Zone’s Scott Garrard in an exclusive interview earlier this month.
Vancouver’s motion says a “proponent group” has signaled interest—but right now, it reads more like a feeler than a full-blown bid.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim appears ready to listen. Utah, on the other hand, has already turned talk into statewide support for BLU.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed two major bills—HB562 and SB272—each allocating $900 million in long-term public funding during the 2024 legislative session.
In expansion, talk is cheap. Vancouver’s exploring. Utah’s executing.
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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.
