AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred began discussing the possibility of expansion in 2015, and efforts to bring a new team to Raleigh are top of mind after the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup win.
Read more Is it the extreme heat or drought killing your NC tomato plants? Probably both
Supporters of the Raleigh effort and ardent fans — online and at Canes events — have mentioned the momentum, and maintain that now is the time to capitalize on the attention and excitement.
But, it’s more complicated than that, with far more variables in play.
Bringing an MLB team to North Carolina has been a topic of discussion for decades. The state was actually in the conversation to join Major League Baseball in 1998.
Carl Pohlad, the former owner of the Minnesota Twins, talked about selling the team if the team didn’t get a new stadium. Don Beaver, a Hickory businessman, wanted to buy the franchise and had support from MLB.
Residents in Forsyth and Guilford counties voted down a referendum for a tax increase that would’ve provided major funding for the ballpark, and Pohlad got the stadium he wanted in Minnesota.
More recently, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon entered the conversation, and has been vocal about his desire to add a major league ball club in the Raleigh area.
“I think we’re gonna put ourselves in a really good place, and if they decide to expand, we’ll have a compelling offer,” Dundon said Sunday on the ice in Las Vegas after the Canes won the 2026 Stanley Cup.
Dundon admitted in 2023 that there were questions he could not yet answer, including those regarding a stadium, other possible investors, and whether the market could truly support an MLB franchise.
“I think you have to do the work to make sure you give yourself the best chance,” Dundon said in 2023. “If it’s Raleigh, it’s easier for me. We’re so early in the process it wouldn’t be fair for me to think about that kind of decision. One, because it’s not up to me. You have to do whatever gives yourself the best chance.”
The Triangle area has several things going for it: The area has a rich sports history; Cary is home to the USA Baseball National Training Complex; the area’s population continues to surge; and there is little competition from the NFL or MLS. The area has proven its desire for baseball, with the thriving presense of the Durham Bulls and the Wilson Warbirds, formerly the Carolina Mudcats. Durham also added professional softball this year with the Carolina Blaze, which has featured sold out crowds. The University of North Carolina and Southern Cal drew the most viewers in NCAA Super Regional history, according to ESPN.
Former governor Roy Cooper and current governor Josh Stein have publicly expressed support. Stein emphasized the point on Wednesday, noting Charlotte’s three main professional sports franchises and the Hurricanes.
“My voice is a little hoarse from Sunday night, you can please forgive me,” Stein said. “Clearly, the Triangle is a lucrative and potential market for the MLB baseball, and we’re going to be working to do all we can. I think that the region really showed out, the viewership on this NHL playoffs were the highest in like seven or eight years. People care about what happens here.
“(It’s) one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country, 22nd-largest media market — which places them at a bigger than any other potential expansion site in the country. We’re eager for this opportunity to be considered, and we’ll do all we can to support it.”
With clear political advocacy, Dundon’s financial backing, and the grassroots MLB Raleigh group, it feels like the city could be a legitimate contender for an expansion team.
But, even with all the positives, there are a number of considerations still in play.
Here are frequently asked questions about the push for a big league team in the Triangle.
If Raleigh became home to an expansion team, it would need a home — one that would cost roughly $1 to $2 billion, according to a 2025 study from N.C. State Professor Emeritus of Economics Michael Walden.
Tax dollars would likely pay for the majority of the new construction. A number of high-dollar stadium builds have received attention in recent years, with the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals and Buffalo Bills receiving billions in public funding.
Fortune reported on June 11 that American taxpayers spent $33 billion on sports stadium construction and renovation projects. In return, they have received higher prices, and fewer seats.
Dundon may be best positioned to make the dream a reality. Hurricanes CEO Brian Fork said last year during an appearance on the Ovies and Giglio Podcast that the team would need public financial support, as well, though no specific numbers have been shared.
Marc Lasry, a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and current investor in the North Carolina Courage, told WRAL he is interested in investing in an MLB franchise, too. Lasry is a co-founder and CEO of Avenue Sports Fund.
Lasry’s business started in 2023 and raised more than $1 billion. It has invested in the Baltimore Orioles, a NASCAR team, the PGA Tour, among other ventures. According to Sportico, Lasry’s investment into the Courage was worth $40 million. An investment from Lasry could help fund the creation of a team and its facilities, and having a second interested party could help the city’s case for a team.
“MLB is going to pick the city they think has got the best finances where people will be able to build a new stadium, where they’re comfortable with ownership,” Lasry said. “It’s hard. Getting a city to get a team is just hard. I’m not going to tell you it’s easy. Raleigh has as good a shot as anybody.”
Neither Dundon nor the Hurricanes were aware of his interest, but Lasry said he’s willing to partner with Dundon if it means bringing major league ball to the Triangle.
Read more Marine lab director trading in his Carolina blue for a deeper shade — Duke’s
North Carolina is no stranger to using tax dollars for sports projects, including Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and Lenovo Center, where the Canes play.
While MLB Raleigh has pushed for the city to become an expansion team, it is not currently at the top of the list.
The MLB and MLB Players Association have started trading proposals for the new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement ends in December. The league wants to expand to 32 teams from the current 30, and that is expected to be a key focus once the new CBA has been settled.
Nashville and Salt Lake City are widely considered the consensus frontrunners
Music City is already home to the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Predators and Vanderbilt University, all of which had strong turnout in their most recent seasons. Nashville is the No. 25 media market and serves more than 1.1 million households. A group called Music City Baseball has worked since 2019 to bring a team to the growing city. It has proposed the name “Nashville Stars,” in honor of the Negro League team that played from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Salt Lake City is the favored team in the West, at least for now, led by efforts from Big League Utah. The group is backed by the Miller family, previous owners of the Utah Jazz, and already has plans for a $3.5 billion mixed-use development, with all other amenities built around the stadium.
SLC is ranked as the 28th largest media market, serving just over 1 million homes, and already features the Jazz and the Utah Mammoth of the NHL.
Sacramento has also emerged as a possible site after the city leaders officially announced a bid for the city. The Athletics are playing in Sacramento now, until their new stadium in Las Vegas is complete.
Portland, Charlotte and Montreal are also contenders.
Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte FC (MLS), Charlotte Independence (USL League One) and the Charlotte Checkers (AHL). It provides the stability and overall infrastructure for an MLB franchise. Additionally, Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and the 21st-largest market.
The Queen City’s metropolitan population sits at roughly 3 million people and features a major corporate presence. It is larger than several other markets, including Nashville, Portland and Salt Lake.
Some concerns, however, include the location of Truist Field — which is in the middle of Uptown — and the 250-mile distance between Charlotte and Atlanta.
Some believe that bandwagon Braves fans would immediately switch allegiances to their local team and that it could create a built-in rivalry between franchises.
MLB Raleigh does not want the Durham Bulls to go anywhere. The historic team with deep roots in the Triangle could become the AAA franchise of a Raleigh-based team, and it wouldn’t be the first time a minor league team was in the same region as its parent franchise.
In fact, recent rule changes have brought MLB teams an average of 200 miles closer to their affiliates. The St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins) and Sugar Land (Houston Astros) are located within 23 miles of their big league teams. With Oakland moving to Las Vegas, the A’s will be 12 miles from the Aviators.
Seattle is a market with a thriving MLB and lower-level franchise. The Mariners rank 11th in 2026 for average attendance, just under 33,000 per game, and were No. 14 in 2025 at roughly 31,300 fans per game.
Meanwhile, the Tacoma Rainiers are 30 miles away and were founded in 1960. In 2025, the Rainiers ranked No. 13 in attendance. They averaged 5,700 fans per game.
Durham consistently ranks in the top 10 for minor league attendance. Last year, the franchise ranked No. 7 with an average of 6,500 fans. North Carolina minor league teams, however, have fallen in average attendance this season. The Winston-Salem Dash, Greensboro Grasshoppers and Durham Bulls are all down by more than 500 people, on average, with the former averaging fewer than 1,000 fans from last year’s numbers. The former Carolina Mudcats relocated from Zebulon and have since become the Wilson Warbirds, the Milwaukee Brewers Single-A affiliate. In their final season, the Mudcats averaged just over 2,100 fans per game. Since the move, the Warbirds are up about 1,300, according to Baseball America.
Additionally, the Bulls can’t block an MLB team from coming to the Triangle. In a 2024 interview with the Triangle Business Journal, Bulls owner Jim Goodmon said the team has a contract with the league that would allow the development of an MLB team in the market.
“In our agreement, all the minor league teams, if Major League Baseball puts in a team then MLB will help you move and you get compensation for it,” Goodmon said.
It’s possible the Bulls could still thrive, even with an MLB franchise down the interstate, due to the area’s continued population growth.
Not only are the A’s in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas, there are even more considerations in the expansion debate.
The Tampa Bay Rays were hoping to construct a new stadium near Tropicana Field — which was damaged by Hurricane Milton in 2024 — with taxpayers bearing a roughly $1 billion burden. City and county leaders initially approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding, but a ballot measure is giving them pause.
The Florida State Legislature put forth a constitutional amendment reducing local property taxes and limiting local government activities. Hillsborough County could lose between $320 and $560 million in property taxes, which are used for public services like police, fire, social programs and libraries, if the amendment passes. Leaders question the value of using tax dollars to build a new stadium while facing the possibility of long-term major budget deficit. Floridians will vote on the amendment in November, which needs 60% to pass, making the Rays’ next steps uncertain.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to add two teams to the league prior to his retirement in 2029, meaning even if Raleigh were to be named one of the new cities, the actual arrival of a team and opening day are, at best, a few years away.
Read more Mulching bunting habitat? Birders at Dix Park raise concerns for a rare species