Sacramento’s MLB dream is costly. Are regional leaders leveling with us? | Opinion

A week later, Sacramento’s attempt to land a Major League Baseball expansion team still seems improbable, considering the multi-billion dollar expansion fee needed to secure a team.

At the May 28 press conference to unveil an effort called Sacramento Pitch, I asked Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty about reports that it could cost several billion dollars just for the fee of acquiring an MLB franchise.

The mayor cut me off. “It’s to be determined—that’s a speculation,” McCarty said. “They haven’t stated the expansion number yet.”

OK, well, no one may have stated numbers yet to our mayor, but someone in baseball is stating numbers to journalists.

CBS Sports has reported that the franchise fee for a new team will start at $2 billion. Yahoo Sports has reported a similar figure,

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the number could reach $3 billion.

“By the time MLB is ready to expand — after collective bargaining, and most likely after new media rights deals in 2028 — baseball insiders suggest the expansion fee itself could be around $4 billion,” wrote Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times.

Sacramento is trying to enter a game played by billionaires and despite all the pomp and circumstance of last week’s announcement, Sacramento hasn’t secured a billionaire who wants to buy a Sacramento.

If MLB adds two additional teams in 2029, which would bring the league to 32 teams overall, Sacramento’s primary could be Salt Lake City. Guess what they have? A billionaire family whose corporation, the Larry H. Miller Company, is spearheading Salt Lake City’s bid. (Now deceased, Larry H. Miller built one of the largest privately owned companies in the West and once owned the Utah Jazz of the NBA. His family is carrying on his work).

This is why Sacramento’s press conference last week was annoying. It was all show, no substance: no lead investor, $800 million raised — barely a start.

McCarty’s dismissive attitude signaled a lack of understanding—or willingness to address—how much money it will actually take to get this done.

For context, the New York Mets sold for $2.4 billion in 2020, while the Washington Commanders of the NFL fetched a record $6.05 billion in 2023. The numbers being discussed for MLB expansion reflect not only the desirability of owning a team but the economic realities of modern sports business.

It’s not enough to dream big; leaders must grapple honestly with the scale of investment involved. If we gloss over these realities now, we risk repeating the mistakes of other cities that have overpromised and underdelivered on professional sports ventures.

The expansion fee is the bare minimum required for entry. When leaders like McCarty dismiss tough realities as speculation, it only harms Sacramento’s bid for the major leagues.

The stakes are too high for wishful thinking. Sacramento’s future as a potential MLB city depends on transparency, planning, and a willingness to have hard conversations now—not after it’s too late to turn back.