So what if the White Sox actually move to Nashville?

Last week I posted this article about potential MLB expansion cities and what could be done to realign the leagues post-expansion.

Then, earlier this week, we learned that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was in “active discussions” about selling the team to a group led by former MLB pitcher Dave Stewart. Stewart was previously involved in a group attempting to bring an expansion team to Nashville. Therefore, a (possibly) logical assumption was that if Stewart’s group managed to purchase the White Sox, the team could move to Nashville. In fact, Reinsdorf had a meeting with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell during the winter meetings last December.

smoke, fire, etc.

Obviously we are still a long way from a sale of the White Sox, and then other owners would have to agree to a move, possibly with a relocation fee.

What would such a step mean for possible expansion cities? And we’re also in a situation where the Tampa Bay Rays need to find some sort of temporary home due to the damage Hurricane Milton did to Tropicana Field. I don’t think the Rays are in danger of permanently moving from the Tampa Bay area, especially given plans to build a new stadium for the Rays in St. Petersburg.

So what would happen if the Sox moved to Nashville?

For one thing, this would eliminate any possibility or reason for putting the Cubs and White Sox in the same division if a radical realignment occurs. As a Cubs fan, I would breathe a sigh of relief at this. The Cubs’ bigger rivals to me are the Cardinals and Brewers and to a lesser extent the Reds, and those are the teams I want the Cubs to play more games against. As you know, I am not a fan of a balanced schedule and once MLB expands I would like to see more games within the division.

In a scenario where Nashville was excluded from expansion, I believe Montreal would move to the top of the list of cities in the eastern half of North America. There is a group called the Montreal Baseball Project that aims to bring MLB back to this Canadian city. I think one way to help a new Montreal team succeed would be to put them in the same league as the Blue Jays – that’s where a natural rivalry exists. That would make a new Montreal Expos (and I’m almost certain they would use that name) an American League team.

I believe MLB wants to balance expansion by fielding one new team (generally) in the eastern half of North America and another (generally) in the West. So at this point I would think the logical counterparts to a Montreal expansion team would be Portland, Sacramento and Salt Lake City.

In my previous article linked above, I mentioned SLC as my choice. If a new Montreal team were an AL squad, Salt Lake City would be in the NL and could be a good regional rival for the Colorado Rockies.

None of this will happen until the Rays and Oakland A’s are permanently in their new stadiums, which is slated to happen in 2028. Obviously things can change in both situations, so I wouldn’t expect an expansion to happen before 2030 or later. (To me, 2030 still sounds like a science fiction year.)

I think that could happen if the White Sox move to Nashville. Of course, if they don’t, many things could be different.

Now it’s your turn.