Proposed Major League Baseball franchises in Portland, Oregon facts for kids
Portland, Oregon, has tried to get its own Major League Baseball (MLB) team a few times. The city and local groups have worked hard to bring a big-league team to the area. This would mean Portland would have a team like the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the past, two teams, the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins, thought about moving to Portland. If they had, they would have played at PGE Park for a while. This stadium was home to Portland's minor league baseball team at the time. Even though Portland is one of the biggest cities in the United States without an MLB team, it hasn't happened yet.
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Past Attempts to Bring MLB to Portland
Montreal Expos Almost Moved to Portland (2002–2003)
Back in the early 2000s, Major League Baseball decided that the Montreal Expos team needed to move to a new city. Portland was one of the cities that wanted the team. The mayor of Portland at the time, Vera Katz, and other city leaders traveled to New York City. They presented their ideas to the committee in charge of moving the Expos.
In 2003, the state of Oregon passed a special law called Senate Bill 5. This law set aside $150 million to help build a new baseball stadium. The plan was for the Expos to play at PGE Park temporarily while their new stadium was being built. However, the Expos did not move to Portland. Instead, they moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals.
Florida Marlins Considered Portland (2006–2007)
A few years later, in 2006, the Florida Marlins team was having trouble getting money to build a new stadium in Miami. This opened up another chance for Portland to try and get an MLB team.
A famous former baseball player named Johnny Pesky, who grew up in Portland, really wanted a team to come to his hometown. He said, "Why shouldn't Portland have a club? I think they should get a shot."
The plan for the Marlins was similar to the Expos' plan. The money from Senate Bill 5 would be used for a new stadium. While it was being built, the Marlins would play at PGE Park. The stadium would even be made bigger to hold about 25,000 fans. In January 2006, officials from the Marlins team visited Portland to see if it would be a good place to move. But in the end, the Marlins stayed in Miami. They built their new stadium, LoanDepot Park, which opened in 2012.
Portland Diamond Project (2017–Present)
Since 2017, a new group called the Portland Diamond Project (PDP) has been working to bring Major League Baseball to Portland. This group is led by Craig Cheek, a retired executive from Nike, Inc., and Mike Barrett, a former sports announcer.
The Portland Diamond Project is trying to find money for a stadium and convince MLB to bring a team to the city.
Finding a Stadium Location
The Portland Diamond Project has looked at several places in and around Portland for a new baseball stadium.
- In 2018, they looked at two sites near downtown Portland. One was the Portland Public Schools headquarters, and the other was an industrial area in Northwest Portland. They later decided not to pursue the school site.
- On November 29, 2018, the PDP announced a plan to build a stadium at Terminal 2 of the Port of Portland. This area is in the Northwest Industrial neighborhood, right on the Willamette River. The stadium was designed by Populous and TVA Architects. It was planned to hold 32,000 to 34,000 fans and even have a roof that could open and close.
- In 2023, the PDP started looking at new locations again. They considered the Lloyd Center shopping mall in downtown Portland and the Redtail Golf Course in Beaverton. In early 2024, they were talking about buying the Redtail site, but that didn't happen.
- On September 23, 2024, the PDP announced they plan to buy Zidell Yards. This is a large undeveloped area in the South Waterfront neighborhood.
Famous Investors
Some well-known people have invested in the Portland Diamond Project.
- In 2018, Russell Wilson, a famous football quarterback, and his wife, singer Ciara, invested in the project.
- In 2019, Darwin Barney, a former MLB player who grew up in Portland, also invested.
Why Portland Wants a Team
The Portland metropolitan area is a very large city area. In 2023, about 2.5 million people lived there. It is one of the biggest metro areas in the United States that does not have a Major League Baseball team.
Experts have said that Portland is a bigger market than some cities that already have MLB teams, like the Cincinnati Reds or Milwaukee Brewers. Supporters of bringing a team to Portland often talk about the city's natural beauty, how easy it is to live there, and how fast the population is growing.
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