Montreal mayor Denis Coderre was heartened to hear baseball commissioner Rob Manfred express support for expansion.
Manfred said Friday in a U.S. television interview that he hopes to see Major League Baseball grow from 30 to 32 clubs, although he put no timetable on adding new teams. Montreal and Mexico City are thought to be leading candidates for franchises.
"I’m delighted with what Rob Manfred said," Coderre said. "From the beginning, he has said he hopes to expand.
"More and more, we see the message is getting through."
Coderre said that Manfred has mentioned before that Montreal is a strong candidate for expansion and that is was a shame the city lost the Expos in 2004.
"It sends the message that Montreal and expansion, it’s possible," Coderre added.
Pat Courntey, spokesman for Major League Baseball, cautioned that the topic has yet to be discussed officially among team owners and that no expansion committee has been formed.
Coderre has lobbied baseball to try to bring back the Expos, who were sold and left town to become the Washington Nationals. Former Expo Warren Cromartie is also leading a campaign to bring a team back to the city.
