MLB Expansion: Where Sacramento stands against Salt Lake City & Portland

MLB expansion took center stage in Sacramento last week as city leaders formally unveiled “The Sacramento Pitch,” a bid to bring Major League Baseball to the region permanently.

The proposal features an ambitious vision: a new ballpark in the River District near Sutter Health Park, billions in public and private investment, support from local tribal nations, and backing from several prominent Sacramento figures.

But according to The Sacramento Bee‘s Chris Biderman, one critical piece remains missing.

“The big thing coming out of it was sort of what wasn’t talked about,” Biderman said on Sactown Sports’ The Drive Guys. “That was the lack of the primary owner, the primary financier, and whoever is going to pay for the two-plus billion dollar expansion fee.”

(The Sacramento Pitch)

More on Sacramento’s MLB Expansion bid

Sacramento’s proposal includes a fully entitled stadium site, infrastructure plans, and a public-private partnership framework that could make the project relatively turnkey once ownership is secured. Biderman believes those factors help distinguish Sacramento from other MLB expansion candidates.

“I would say probably the public-private partnership,” Biderman said when asked what part of Sacramento’s bid would concern competing cities. “The fact that there is a situation where it could be pretty turnkey once you do have an owner in place. You have land, you have infrastructure, potentially available, in terms of the money and funding.”

The region also has a unique advantage: MLB is already playing games in Sacramento, with the Athletics temporarily calling Sutter Health Park home through 2027.

“The fact that you have Major League Baseball here right now, and there’s real data that Major League Baseball can look at and pull from,” Biderman said. “I think that does give Sacramento somewhat of a leg up.”

Still, Biderman repeatedly pointed to ownership as the deciding factor.

“If Sacramento is able to find ownership within the next six months or a year, then I would say they elevate themselves to Salt Lake City’s level in terms of viability,” he said. “But for now, that’s all kind of hypothetical.”

Salt Lake City currently appears to have an advantage because the Miller family has already expressed willingness to own a franchise and pay the expansion fee.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 01: A general view of Sutter Health Park before a game between the Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sutter Health Park on August 01, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)

Sacramento, meanwhile, continues to search for a lead investor with the financial resources and credibility that MLB ownership groups typically seek.

Biderman also noted that former Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, viewed by many as a potential candidate, is no longer pursuing the opportunity.

“He wants to buy a team that already exists and is playing games right now,” Biderman said. “Not buying into an opportunity to compete with three or four other markets to start a team.”

Ultimately, Biderman believes MLB expansion may come down to more than market size, television reach, or projected revenues.

“Major League Baseball is an entity that’s just 30 rich guys, 30 owners,” he said. “Expansion is going to be about who do those rich guys want to give a seat at the table for.”

Listen to The Drive Guys from 2 – 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

More MLB content from Sactown Sports

• Mayor McCarty says Sacramento ‘has a great chance’ of winning MLB expansion bid

• World Series in Sac? It could happen in 2026
• Is Sacramento ready for MLB expansion? Former A’s owner weighs in

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