A report Tuesday that the Oakland Athletics are moving has led some enthusiasts to wonder if they could end up in Nashville.
John Loar, executive director of Music City Baseball, a band looking to bring a major league franchise to the city, believes Oakland will move to Nashville.
This could, however, be Nashville’s first step to getting a team.
That team, Loar said, would likely be the Tampa Bay Rays, who, like Oakland, need a new contract for the stadium.
“Major League Baseball has said there won’t be a verbal exchange about the expansion until Oakland and Tampa are resolved,” Loar said. “I think it’s a step in that direction. This potentially opens the door to relocation here in this market and I also believe it is one more step in the expansion of verbal exchange. “
The Athletics have been waiting for a new contract for the stadium funded through local government for several years and if that doesn’t happen soon, they’ll consider leaving, according to ESPN.
The report noted that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had included Nashville as a possible expansion with Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, British Columbia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Montreal.
Loar said Oakland probably wouldn’t move to Nashville and that Las Vegas would likely be a destination.
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“I don’t think Oakland is going to enter this market; I think Oakland will stay on the West Coast because of the way the leagues are located,” Loar said.
“I don’t think Oakland will enter this time zone. If there are two expansion teams, I think one will be to the west and one to the east or south. The South is a big market, Nashville is a more sensible market, in my opinion. It just shows that unless a city is willing to support its team, it will most likely move to a market that does. “
Contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.