Toronto Blue Jays executive comments on MLB potentially coming to Vancouver
Plenty of chatter continues to swirl about the possibility of Vancouver landing an MLB expansion team.
Vancouver city council recently approved a motion for the city to seek potential owners of an MLB franchise. One name said to be involved as a potential part owner is Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who boasts a net worth estimated to be around US$350 million. Meanwhile, local businessman Zack Ross is said to be leading the charge.
While plenty of work needs to be done before an MLB franchise would ever come to Vancouver, there appears to be some serious legs to this bid. In fact, it’s garnered so much attention that Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro has even weighed in on the conversation.
“We are supportive of any effort to grow baseball in Canada, and that would include the opportunity to bring the MLB to Vancouver,” Shapiro told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.
The Blue Jays have been Canada’s lone MLB team ever since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington in 2004. They have since been heavily supported by the vast majority of the country, something that players often say makes playing in Toronto so fun. That said, the MLB itself doesn’t seem concerned about adding another Canadian franchise.
āThere’s no place you’re going to go where you’re not splitting the market,ā MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told Shi Davidi last year.
Bringing an MLB team to Vancouver would likely result in the Vancouver Canadians needing to relocate, though that’s a trade many in the city would accept in a heartbeat.
This all comes as a result of the MLB’s plan to add two expansion teams in late 2027 or early 2028. Once those locations are decided on, the two new clubs are expected to start up for the 2029 season.