DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum MLB to Portland?

I was listening to the radio on the way home and there are two big plans with significant backers to pay for a 32,000 seater MLB stadium close to downtown Portland. The plans will involve NO public money and have big donors ready to pay and architects lined up. The problem will be Portland politics, which those of us who live here know can be...'er....a crapshow at the very least.

BUT, I hope they pull it off. I know it isn't the first time...when the Expos were moving they tried to bring them here. But, Portland has grown considerably since then and is now a city with 2.4 million in its Greater metro area. The Indians will always be my team, but I would love to be able to go to a local ballpark in the summer. I miss our Triple-A team that got kicked out when our soccer team moved up to MLS.

Assuming the Marlins could be a team being discussed to move? Their attendance has been pitiful.

Why would politics care if there is no public money being requested? I would think that if their expenses (publicly) are zero and they can build an MLB park and all of the business around it that thrives, that would be a no-brainer.. .what am I missing?

I think Portland is a pretty good town for MLB. They are a pretty good sports town.

Would MLB be looking to move a team there or expand?

If a team is moving I would think OAK and MIA would be the two favorites to move.

Miami just built a new stadium. That team isn't going anywhere. If teams were to move it would be Oakland or Tampa Bay. MLB has been talking about expanding though. . .

The deal involved is to not only build a stadium but to revitalize an area and to help create affordable low/middle income housing and to also offer a potential solution to our homeless problem. From what I understand there are multiple zoning issues involved regarding both of those (where housing can be built as well as a shelter) and that could get in the way of plans. But, from what I have heard City Hall is interested in the deal and are hopeful it could happen.

Was it Miami where photos went viral of less than 1000 people in their stadium? If so, that isn't sustainable.

Where are they thinking about building?

The only places I can think of would be by OMSI (but more north by Clarlewis), South Waterfront (if there is any land left), or somewhere in industrial NW. I guess there's some land by UP as well.

The Astros were in the same spot several years ago. They are rebuilding.

It might be unsustainable, but the city and MLB are not letting the Marlins leave after a new stadium was just built. Especially when there are two teams with horrible stadium situations.

two options:

1. Move Tampa or Oakland to Portland
2. Add Portland and one other expansion team in the east (Charlotte, Raleigh, New Orleans, Memphis, ??)

If they expand my guess is that it is Portland and Montreal.

Tampa Bay aren't they in an old stadium, a bad team and in a horrible market?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Only problem it's Portland in the AL east. Probably not going to work unless they realign.

I don't think they want to move any teams. It's going to be expansion.

Tampa Bay and Oakland are the two [very] obvious candidates to move, but they both also think they can get new stadiums built.

Take Tampa and Oakland, and distribute their rosters & farm hands to teams in 4 new cities. Accept bids from Las Vegas, Portland, San Jose, San Antonio, Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando, New Orleans, or any other viable city that won't infringe geographically on an existing team's market (eg, Indianapolis (Cinci) or Memphis (St Louis)). After splitting up the two rosters into 4 with the initial expansion draft, hold a secondary expansion draft with the existing 28 teams. With 32 teams, MLB could go to a balanced schedule, and hopefully (IMO) do away with interleague play, and put some mystique back into the All Star Game and the World Series.

A project that size will most certainly be looking for tax abatement.....which is public assustance

My opinion is if no public money is involved, the public doesn't have enough interest in having a team.


Pro sports are no different that any other business. Local governments give all sorts of potential employers massive tax breaks to bring them to the community.

A pro sports team? "We can't fund that, but give me a Ford plant and I am all in."

Scratch that PDX, I found an article that had the info. The one by the Rose Garden (moda) is a terrible idea if they care at all about traffic.

Actually...I don't think it is a terrible place. You have public transport infrastructure with MAX and StreetCar. Ideally, don't schedule at the sametime as a Blazers game so you don't have 40-50,000 leaving at the same time! And, what the city wants is a plan that also allows for affordable housing and something that addresses the homeless issue (before they agree to anything). That area around Lloyd Center is really changing...loads of housing going up as well as hotels AND you already have "Right To Dream" down by the river opposite the Moda Center.

The Montgomery Park area is decent too, and it has access to the 405/Fremont, but the train stops at Northrup and the spot is on Vaughn.

I live in NW PDX so, I would be down with it over there as it is fairly close...but, the PPS District building site may be better for public transport, hotels in the area and beautiful views of the city.

I bet they would want to cash in on the I-5 Seattle/Portland rivalry that we already have with our MLS soccer clubs and put Portland in the same division as the Mariners.

Maybe Vancouver, BC could be the expansion team? Then you have a great PNW rivalry all set up.

I’m not much for baseball anymore. If it happens, good for Portland’s fans.
I wish they’d put an NHL team in the Moda center. Infrastructure in place. No need to build. Fill the stadium another 44 times a season.

I stopped taking Max to the Rose Quarter because it is a nightmare leaving. It is even worse when both Vets and Moda are having events. While the overlap isn't significant between baseball and hockey/hoops, those days would be a nightmare IMHO.

The problem with all of these projects are that they're building and building and building, but are not addressing infrastructure. As you know, traffic is becoming ridiculous (8th worst in the country IIRC), and just adding a couple trains doesn't help. Not to derail the thread though...

This being said, if they could do something to address traffic (more trains would help some) and parking in the area, it is a logical location.

Traffic is def worst that it was when I moved here (11 years ago). But, it still isn't as awful as I think some make it out to being. We moved here from London...not much is as bad as rush hour on the M25 where it can literally be a huge parking lot. Then again, I don't have to deal with Hwy 26 nor the I-5 Vancouver/Portland commute so, if either of those were my daily route I may feel differently.

17 years (ish) of dealing with 26. Im downtown now, so not any longer, but whoa. And I get to the rose garden once a month on average - it is a mess. But, maybe no worse than the Q or any other - its been so long.