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Proposed Major League Baseball franchises in Portland, Oregon

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Under two proposals in the 2000s, if any Major League Baseball franchises relocated to Portland, Oregon, they would have played at PGE Park on an interim basis.

Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises have been proposed in Portland, Oregon on two occasions. The Oregon Stadium Campaign and the City of Portland were involved in creating a presentation for a committee in charge of relocating the Montreal Expos in 2003. The proposal included possible sites for new baseball parks. In the midst of the campaign for the Expos, the Oregon State Legislature passed a bill that secured US$150 million in funds for a new stadium, that can still be used. The proposal was passed up and Washington, D.C. was selected as the new home of the Expos. In 2007, the Florida Marlins considered re-locating to Portland. On both occasions, PGE Park, the minor league baseball park at the time, would have been used until a new stadium could be completed. The Portland metropolitan area is one of the largest metro areas in the United States without an MLB franchise.

Proposed teams

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Montreal Expos relocation (2002–2003)

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After MLB made it official the Montreal Expos were going to be relocated, Portland was named as a potential candidate.[1] Then-Portland Mayor Vera Katz and other officials went to New York City to address the committee that was in charge of the Expos relocation.[2] In 2003, the Oregon State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5, which provided US$150 million towards a new stadium.[2] If the Expos did move to Portland, under the proposal set forth by the then-mayor would use PGE Park as the team's temporary stadium.[2] The Expos were eventually awarded to Washington, D.C. and now play as the Washington Nationals.

Florida Marlins possible relocation (2006–2007)

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In 2006, there was question of whether or not the Florida Marlins would be able to secure the funds for a new stadium.[3] This opened a proposal for the Marlins to be relocated to Portland.[3] Former professional baseball player Johnny Pesky, who is a Portland native, expressed his desire to see an MLB franchise in his home town stating, "Why shouldn't Portland have a club? I think they should get a shot. I think Portland will have a team in three or four years."[3] The proposed plan would use the funds secured from Senate Bill 5 to build a new stadium. While it was being built, the team would play in PGE Park, which would be expanded into a 25,000 seat facility as a quick fix.[3] On January 6, 2006, Marlins officials visited Portland as a possible re-location site.[4] The officials included team president David Samson, vice chairman Joel Mael and Claude Delorme.[4] Six other cities were possible re-locations sites along with Portland.[4] The Marlins ultimately stayed in Miami and went on to build LoanDepot Park, which opened in 2012.

Portland Diamond Project (2017–)

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See also: Potential Major League Baseball expansion

In 2017, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that an ownership group led by retired Nike vice president Craig Cheek and former Portland Trail Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett are working to secure financing for a stadium and bring Major League Baseball to Portland.[5] On April 17, 2018, the potential ownership group, Portland Diamond Project, submitted formal proposals to purchase one of two potential stadium sites close to downtown Portland. One site was Portland Public Schools' headquarters, located north of the Moda Center, and the other location is an industrial site in Northwest Portland[6] However, on November 7, 2018, the offer for the PPS site was formally retracted by the Portland Diamond Project.[7]

On June 1, 2018 it was announced that former Seattle Seahawks quarterback, current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, and former Colorado Rockies farmhand Russell Wilson is investing in the Portland Diamond Project, along with his wife, singer, songwriter and entertainer Ciara.[8] In 2019, former MLB player and Portland native Darwin Barney was also investing in the project.[9]

Portland Diamond Ballpark

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On November 29, 2018, the Portland Diamond Project (PDP) announced that it had reached an agreement to build a baseball park on the 45-acre Terminal 2 of the Port of Portland in the Northwest Industrial neighborhood of the city.[10][11] The park, designed by Populous in partnership with TVA Architects, will be located on the Willamette River.[12] It will have a capacity of 32,000 to 34,000 and will include a retractable roof as well as a gondola lift suite.[13] Construction is estimated to cost around $1 billion and efforts to get a Major League Baseball team to occupy it could cost the same.[10][11]

In 2023, PDP announced that it was now considering two potential sites for a ballpark: at the Lloyd Center shopping mall in downtown Portland and the Redtail Golf Course in Beaverton.[14] In January 2024, they announced they were in negotiations to purchase the 164-acre Redtail site, but it never materialized.[15]

On September 23, 2024, PDP announced that they had signed a letter of intent to purchase Zidell Yards, a large piece of undeveloped land in the South Waterfront neighborhood.[16]

Involved organizations

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Three groups, the Oregon Sports Authority, the Portland Baseball Group and Oregon Baseball Campaign, came together for an organization known as the Oregon Stadium Campaign (OSC) to advance the hopes of location an MLB team in Portland.[17]

Market

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ESPN.com reported that the Portland metropolitan area was a bigger market than several with current MLB teams, namely the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers.[3] As of 2023, the Portland metropolitan area had 2.5 million residents and was the fifth largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States without an MLB team.[18] While the Oregon Sports Authority acknowledged in their official proposal that there may be bigger markets with more corporate support, they touted Portland's natural beauty, livability, metropolitan growth rate and television ratings as reason to award Portland with a team.[19]

Public opinion

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The Oregon Sports Authority cited a poll taken by Grove Insight in March 2003 in their official proposal that stated that over half of Oregon residents claimed that they would attend an MLB game each season.[19] Furthermore, the poll also stated that 60 percent of Multnomah County residents would be "likely" to attend a game and 41 percent would be "very likely".[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Goddard, Lisa (May 9, 2003). "D.C. looking to land Expos". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Killen, John (August 31, 2009). "Major League Baseball in Portland? Some still have hope". OregonLive.com. The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e Rogers, Phil (January 12, 2007). "Relocating a team to Portland makes sense". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Frisaro, Joe (January 6, 2006). "Marlins officials to visit Portland". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved September 14, 2010.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ Blue, Molly (October 17, 2017). "Portland has ownership group in place for MLB team, looking to fast-track baseball to Oregon". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (April 17, 2018). "Major League Baseball backers offer to buy two close-in Portland sites for stadium". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. ^ News, KATU. "Portland Diamond Project rescinds offer on PPS property as possible MLB stadium site". KATU. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Dubin, Jared (June 1, 2018). "Seahawks' Russell Wilson, Ciara invest in effort to bring MLB to Portland". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  9. ^ "Darwin Barney is part of a group that wants an MLB team in Portland". Chicago Tribune. May 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Njus, Elliot (November 29, 2018). "Portland Diamond Project has agreement for ballpark at NW Portland marine terminal (renderings)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Bell, Jon; Siemers, Erik (November 29, 2018). "Portland Diamond Project strikes deal to develop riverfront stadium at port terminal (Renderings)". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  12. ^ Brown, Maury (November 29, 2018). "MLB To Portland Has Agreement In Principle For Ballpark Land On River Near Downtown". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Cowley, Jared; Tierney, John (November 30, 2018). "Portland Diamond Project announces plan to build MLB stadium at Terminal 2 site". KGW 8. NBC. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "If baseball comes to Portland, the Lloyd Center and the RedTail golf course are the top candidates for a ballpark". KGW. June 30, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  15. ^ DePaola, Amy-Xiaoshi; Raineri, Joe (January 31, 2024). "Major League Baseball site may be at RedTail Golf Course in Beaverton, says Portland Diamond Project". KGW. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh | The; Oregonian/OregonLive, Jonathan Bach | The (September 24, 2024). "Portland Diamond Project says it has agreement for baseball stadium at South Waterfront site". oregonlive. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "About the Oregon Stadium Campaign". Oregon Stadium Campaign. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  18. ^ "Top 40 Metro Areas in the United States: 25 Have MLB Teams, 15 Do Not" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. March 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c "The Portland Market" (PDF). Oregon Stadium Campaign. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
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