Will Another Canadian City Take on an MLB Franchise?

There’s currently only one men’s professional basketball team from Canada that plays in the MLB (Major League Baseball) competition in the United States, the Toronto Blue Jays. The other team was the Montreal Expos, which relocated to Washington D.C. in 2005 and changed its name to the Washington Nationals. 

The question being asked here is, will another Canadian city take on an MLB franchise? Let’s dive straight in to find out. We will start by taking a quick look at a few predictions for which MLB team might come out on top this year in the 2025 season. 

Who will most likely win the MLB World Series 2025?

If you are already wondering who might win the MLB World Series 2025 and you live in Alberta, the best thing to do would be to check the latest odds on any fully licensed and regulated Alberta casino and sports betting website. 

For example, as it stands, the three teams with the best chance of winning this year are the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. Here’s what the latest average odds look like for these three odds-on favourites:

• Betting market: MLB World Series 2025 outright winner. Franchise: Los Angeles Dodgers. American/moneyline odds: +260. Decimal odds: 3.60. Implied probability rate (IPR): 27.80% – ODDS-ON FAVOURITES
• Betting market: MLB World Series 2025 outright winner. Franchise: New York Yankees. American/moneyline odds: +700. Decimal odds: 8.00. IPR: 12.50% – second odds-on favourites
• Betting market: MLB World Series 2025 outright winner. Franchise: Atlanta Braves. American/moneyline odds: +850. Decimal odds: 9.50. IPR: 10.50% – third odds-on favourites

In other words, it’s still early days, and it’s hard to tell which of these three teams might come out on top, although the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently the clear favourites to win the 2025 World Series. 

Will another Canadian city take on an MLB franchise?

If any Canadian city does end up taking on another MLB franchise, many people agree that it would most likely be Montreal again. They have been the leading candidate primed to be the next host city to acquire a Major League Baseball franchise since their initial bid was rejected in 2022. 

At the very start of the year, MLB chiefs turned down proposals for the Tampa Bay Rays to divide their fixtures between Florida and Montreal.  

According to sources, those involved in bringing a new MLB franchise to Montreal have been working hard to ensure that it happens. They have identified key stadiums that the team could call home. 

They have also created an ownership group that would control the franchise and carried out extensive research and marketing to create a fan base. Montreal has a large market size and is considered by many to be Canada’s best prospect city to host an MLB franchise. 

They would be the best prepared should the league decide to expand and take on another Canadian-based baseball team. 

The other Canadian city that has been suggested is Vancouver, but it would most likely be Montreal as they are way further ahead and could quickly mobilize a team. 

What is the top tier of men’s professional baseball in Canada?

The top tier of men’s professional baseball in Canada is the IBL (Intercounty Baseball League), which has numerous players who once played in the MLB, MiLB, and elite NCAA college baseball leagues. Many of the foreign players who have competed in the IBL come from Japan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. 

Who are the best Canadian baseball players who have played in the MLB?

Canada has produced some of the best players ever to compete in the MLB. Two of the most notable players who have made it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame are Larry Walker and Ferguson Jenkins. 

In 1997, Larry Walker won the MLB Most Valuable Player Award. Ferguson Jenkins won the Cy Young Award in 1971. Other notable Canadians include Justin Morneau (MVP, 2006), Joey Votto (MVP, 2010), Freddie Freeman (MVP, 2020), and Eric Gange (Cy Young Award, 2003). 

That’s not forgetting Jason Bay (MLB Rookie of the Year, 2004), Russell Martin (Silver Slugger Award, 2006 and 2008), and Larry Walker, who won the Gold Glove seven times. 

Final thoughts

Montreal will no doubt continue to pursue its quest to be the next Canadian city to get its very own MLB franchise, but when this might happen is anybody’s guess. 

Baseball fans in Montreal could get lucky and get to watch their own team play in the MLB in the 2026 season, but others say that it could take a lot longer than this. We will just have to wait and see what happens. 

The Montreal Baseball Project is an organization that’s dedicated to making this possible, and although the initial bid was rejected in 2022, there’s a very good chance that the next time they take their plans to MLB chiefs, they could be successful. Only time will tell.

The post Will Another Canadian City Take on an MLB Franchise? first appeared on Through The Fence Baseball.

Source: https://throughthefencebaseball.com/will-another-canadian-city-take-on-an-mlb-franchise/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=will-another-canadian-city-take-on-an-mlb-franchise