Charlotte Twitter was abuzz Monday night with the news that the Queen City was mentioned by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred when it comes to expansion.
Manfred, speaking ahead of the MLB All-Star Game in Miami, was asked about the possibility of expanding the league for the first time since adding teams in 1998 (Tampa Bay/Arizona).
"I think we have some great candidates." Manfred said. "I know the mayor of Montreal has been very vocal about bringing baseball back to Montreal. Charlotte is a possibility. And I would like to think that Mexico City or some place in Mexico would be another possibility."
Manfred mentioned that before any expansion were to take place, stadium deals would need to be resolved in Tampa and Oakland.
He has also emphasized expanding the league internationally as well.
NBC Charlotte looked in to the possibility of Major League Baseball coming to the Queen City back in 2015.
. @KnightsBaseball statement on tonight's #MLB to #CLT buzz @wcnc pic.twitter.com/CJDMXgqBpH
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) July 11, 2017
The Charlotte Knights have drawn well since moving to brand-new BB&T Ballpark in 2014. The team led all of Minor League Baseball in attendance in 2016 -- averaging 8.974 fans per game.
But the $54 million stadium, partially funded by taxpayers, would not be able to be refurbished in to a Major League park, which hold 34,000-56,000 fans for up to 81 games per regular season.
