MLB to PDX needs to look outside Portland

The on-deck circle with the MLB logo is in place before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

By STEVEN VAUGHAN | 750 The Game

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day has come and gone, but you’re forgiven if you’re still wondering what big league baseball would be like in Portland.

Host John Canzano talked about the empty seats in the Oakland A’s home stadium on Tuesday’s Bald Faced Truth radio show. He said the Portland Diamond Project continues to explore commercial real estate properties in the Portland area.

In downtown Portland?

Or the suburbs?

“If I’m the MLB to PDX effort, I go outside the city limits of Portland so I don’t have to deal with city politics and the lack of leadership,” Canzano said. “When city leaders let downtown Portland go — and they did, they let it go — that hurt everybody. That hurt the brand of the region.”

Canzano said he felt Portland was a viable expansion candidate. But added that the city had a new challenger in Salt Lake City, where a billionaire owner and city leaders have been far more proactive. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has talked frequently about his league’s possible expansion and named Portland to his short list of possibilities.

Listen to the Bald Faced Truth radio show weekdays 3-6p on 750-AM The Game.