Wealthiest city in US without an MLB team suffers blow to $4bn expansion and ballpark bid

Raleigh is desperate to be among the cities in the mix for a long-awaited MLB expansion team.

Plans have been put together to construct a $1.7 billion ballpark to add weight to a bid in a massive TV market.

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But The Carolina Journal reports that a proposal to finance the project is being left out of a state budget North Carolina House and Senate leaders agreed Sunday.

Per WRAL, House leaders did not want to commit public money to a baseball team.

The proposal is not completely dead and could be revisited as a standalone bill, but a lack of political support is a major hurdle.

Watching the Carolina Hurricanes lift the Stanley Cup showed the potential of Raleigh as a sports hub.

Over 192,000 fans attended celebration, according to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.

Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is a long-time supporter of a bid and first declared interest in 2023.

“We’re going to put ourselves in a really good place, and if they decide to expand, we’ll have a compelling offer,” he told WRAL.

NC Courage investor Marc Lasry has also come forward as a potential backer.

Raleigh has massive advantages for MLB expansion bid

The Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area serves 1.5 million people and is the 22nd-largest television market in the U.S. — the biggest without an MLB team.

It is also the wealthiest area in the continental U.S. not boasting a club within 100 miles.

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North Carolina State University economist Mike Walden estimates that an MLB franchise in Raleigh or Charlotte would create 2,000 to 2,500 permanent jobs and produce $300 million annually.

An 80-acre plot in the Lenovo District has already been identified by Dundon’s group as the location for a mixed-use development including a ballpark.

Including expansion fees, the expected cost exceeds $4 billion.

To help, $500 million was requested in state funding, with taxes covering the rest.

It is a similar model to Charlotte’s contribution of $650 million toward renovating Bank of America Stadium –– the home of the NFL‘s Panthers.

Gov. Josh Stein is a supporter, as is outgoing Senate Leader Phil Berger.

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“I don’t think you get a Major League Baseball team or a professional football team at this point without there being some cooperation on the part of local and/or state governments,” said the latter.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s term is up in 2029 and he wants two new teams confirmed by then.

If Raleigh cannot get funding, it will be a boost to other contenders including Nashville, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and Montreal.

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