MLB franchise in Mexico ruled out in the short term
The director of MLB for Mexico and Latin America spoke to Azteca Sports about the expansion plans and the presence of Major League Baseball in the country. This is what he had to say.
In recent years the possibility of a Major League Baseball team being based in Mexico has been discussed, however, the arrival of Covid-19 and its economic effects have put a stop to this idea in the short term. Rodrigo Fernandez, director of the MLB office in Mexico explained the circumstances that the 'King of Sports' is going through after the pandemic.
"At least in the next 5-7 years we would not be thinking about that, the world and the economy are just recovering and that complicates things a lot, of course, it is a long-term intention, both of many people in Mexico and Major League Baseball, but in the next five or seven years there is no opportunity," explained the leader.
What Mexico will have from 2023 and at least until 2026, will be MLB regular season games. Mexico City, San Diego, and San Francisco will face each other next April, and the possibilities of a Major League team facing a Mexican baseball team in the next few years are also being analyzed.
"Yes, these are some of the things we have discussed and it is a real option, we are looking at the best format and where to do it. The stadium (Harp Helú) is completely worthy, the only difference with most of the Major League stadiums is the capacity, but for example the Club House, there are few like it in Major League Baseball, the spaces, the technology they use, it is a first-class stadium and everyone is pleasantly surprised" said Fernández about the stadium that will host the best MLB players next year.
The Padres are in second place in the NL West fighting for one of the wildcard spots for the postseason, while the Giants are in third place in the same division, but 8 games behind the Phillies in the wildcard race.
