CHARLOTTE — Charlotte, despite no known campaign for Major League Baseball or even an informal investor group, has once again become prominent in speculative discussions of possible expansion sites.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been openly discussing his interest in adding two franchises soon, pending resolution of ballpark problems in Oakland, California, and Tampa Bay, Florida. Las Vegas looks like a safe bet to land the A’s, while Tampa Bay’s Rays continue discussions in their area at the same time the home team holds the best record in the big leagues. There are 30 MLB clubs now; the last expansion was in 1998.
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This month, Gambling.com set the odds of the likeliest expansion cities. It lists Nashville, Tennessee — which seems to figure into every economic development comparison discussion involving Charlotte these days — and the Queen City among favorites.
CBJ asked retired Bank of America Corp. CEO Hugh McColl Jr., who helped bring the NFL Carolina Panthers and NBA Charlotte Hornets to town, to weigh in.
“I think that we would be a better town than Nashville,” he says, noting the number of big companies — read: potential sponsors — here and a fast-growing population.
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