PORTLAND, Ore. — During a Major League Baseball to Portland fan event on Saturday, Portland Diamond Project managing partner Mike Barrett said the group hopes to announce a ballpark site in four to six weeks.
“We’re down to a few favorites,” Barrett said at Baseballism in Northwest Portland.
Several potential stadium locations in Portland have been publicly reported.
- Portland Public Schools headquarters near the Moda Center.
- The old ESCO industrial site in Northwest Portland’s Slabtown neighborhood. The property was recently sold to a group of Portland developers for $33 million.
- Terminal 2, owned by the Port of Portland, along the Willamette River.
- South waterfront property owned by the Zidell family, known as Zidell Yards, has been discussed, according to the Portland Tribune.
Barrett has also said an area outside of Portland city limits has been discussed. But that spot has not been publicly disclosed.
Regardless of where the stadium is, Barrett said PDP wants the stadium to be iconic and reflect the uniqueness of the Rose City.
“We want to do this and have it be of Portland, for Portland, by Portland,” he said.
As for when Portland may get a team, Barrett said the timetable is still unknown. He said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has told PDP he wants to get the unsteady ballpark situations in Oakland and Tampa Bay resolved before expanding from 30 teams to 32 teams.
“If we can help baseball settle one of those situations, terrific,” Barrett said. “We just want them to get settled because if those two get settled, if we’re involved or not, it means the expansion happens quicker.”
During an interview earlier this week on the Dan Patrick Show, Manfred said Portland, Las Vegas, Nashville, Charlotte, Montreal, and Mexico as possible locations for expansion franchises.
Barrett said PDP doesn’t have a preference in terms of getting a relocating franchise or an expansion team.
“Either one is fine with us. We just want it," Barrett said.
The last time an MLB team relocated was in 2005, when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington D.C. It’s been even longer since MLB expanded. The most recent expansion occurred in 1998, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks made their debut.
Barrett said PDP recognizes the rare opportunity that is being presented.
“This window is not going to be open forever. That’s why we’re trying to crank,” he said.