MLB commissioner Rob Manfred: No MLB expansion imminent

Expansion in Major League Baseball may not be imminent, commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday, but he named three cities, including Mexico City, that could serve as future sites if the time is right.

Manfred made his comments at his annual press conference during All-Star festivities in Miami.

He said the unsettled status of Tampa Bay and Oakland regarding their stadium situations must be resolved before expansion can be pursued.

"Once they're done," he said, "I think we have some great candidates. I know the mayor of Montreal has been very vocal about bringing baseball back to Montreal. It was not great when the Expos left. The fact of the matter was baseball was successful in Montreal for a very long time.

"Charlotte is a possibility. And I would like to think that Mexico City or some place in Mexico would be another possibility."

The last time Major League Baseball expanded was 1998, when Tampa Bay and Arizona came aboard.

The Expos split time between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2003 and 2004 before relocating to Washington, D.C., in 2005 and being renamed the Nationals.

The Rays are last in the majors in attendance this season, averaging 15,680 at Tropicana Field. The A's are next to last, drawing an average of 18,498 at Oakland Coliseum, the last venue that hosts both a baseball team and an NFL team. That status will change in a few years when the Raiders move to Las Vegas.