Evan Roberts suggests Dominican Republic as MLB expansion site

As Major League Baseball continues to consider markets for expansion, WFAN’s Evan Roberts suggested the Dominican Republic.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed a desire to add two expansion teams before his term expires in 2029. Salt Lake City and Nashville have often been considered the most viable cities, with Austin, Charlotte, Montreal and Portland among the other markets that have been mentioned.

But none of those cities are as passionate about baseball as the DR is and would be.

“I understand that what I’m about to tell you faces some battles that will make it tough to occur, such as the economy, such as building a stadium, but how electric would it be for the Dominican Republic to be an expansion city?” Roberts asked co-host Tiki Barber during their Wednesday show on WFAN. “I don’t think it’s a geography issue, it’s a financial issue.”

Tiki Barber cited security concerns and the fact that a roster of players would need to live in the Dominican Republic. But there are areas of the country where safety isn’t much of an issue, and as Roberts noted, there are a lot of players who probably wouldn’t mind making the DR their full-time residence.

The Dominican Republic produces more foreign-born talent than any other country for MLB, with at least 10% of the league’s players being from the country. A lot of those players make the DR their home in the offseason, meaning there is already a large pool of people who would be eager to play there during the season.

Infrastructure and revenue are the biggest hurdles to making this happen. The largest stadium in the Dominican Republic holds just over 18,000 fans. The country’s most famous stadium, which is located in Santo Domingo, has a seating capacity of just over 13,000, meaning a new stadium would be necessary. Additionally, the country’s smaller economy might create challenges with ticket and TV revenue. It’s not going to happen anytime soon, the DR doesn’t appear to be on Manfred’s radar for expansion. But the DR undoubtedly has the potential to become the most exciting environment to watch a MLB game.