The Washington Nationals entered the MLB back in 2005. They replaced the Montreal Expos, who had been in the league since 1969. Now the Canadian city's mayor is hoping to bring baseball back.
Mayor Denis Coderre met with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday in New York City to discuss the initial steps that could potentially return a baseball franchise to Montreal, according to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi. Rumors have already swirled in the offseason regarding a franchise relocation to Montreal.
Last year the MLB held two exhibition games in Montreal for the first time since the Expos left after the 2004 season. The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays played in front of crowds at Olympic Stadium consisting of 46,121 and 50,229 fans in 2014. Then the Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds drew crowds of similar size in early April this year. Coderre does not think this is a coincidence.
"The message that I tried to send is that the Montreal baseball games that we had in the last two years [were] not just about nostalgia. It was about DNA," Coderre told reporters after speaking with Manfred today, via CBC News.
"I started with what I wanted to tell him: 'Listen, Montreal is a great place to be. You'd see more and more people who love the sport.'
"There is a buzz right now, but it's more than just a trend. People are pulling out their caps from the Expos, and they are wearing the logo.
"I want Montreal to gain back a team eventually, but I wanted to open a channel. I clearly wanted to show that it's not just about gaining back a team - it's about how can we get baseball back to Montreal?"
The Associated Press reported that Coderre asked Manfred to consider having the MLB play three or four regular-season games in Montreal next season to begin working on the city regaining a franchise. The mayor noted "six or seven teams have expressed an interest in playing in Montreal in 2016." Coderre, according to Morosi, also noted the city recently invested $11 million in local baseball fields, while youth baseball registration has witnessed a 25-percent increase over the past two years.
But there's more.
"Montreal, often described as the most European metropolis in North America, also represents a cultural link to the European markets MLB wishes to capture in coming years," Morosi writes.
"Montreal is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. or Canada without an MLB franchise, and evidence is mounting that one would thrive in the city - particularly given the revenue potential of media rights in English and French."
While the opportunity seems ripe, especially with ailing franchises such as the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics experiencing stadium issues and low attendance rates, Manfred doesn't seem as if he will fast-track the idea. Back in March he said Montreal needs to "have a plan for an adequate facility that could support baseball over the long haul" if the MLB were to consider relocating or expanding in the Canadian city.
It's unknown how long it would take Coderre to get such a plan in motion, but the fact that he was able to sit down with Manfred and pitch his ideas was the first crucial step in a process that could yield the return of baseball to Montreal.
