MLB Teams Next in Line for a New Stadium Amid Angels Rumors
Major League Baseball is overdue for a run on new stadiums.
If it felt like there was a new one every year for a while there, that's not totally wrong. Of the 30 active ballparks in the league today, 23 opened between 1989 and 2012. Since then, only Truist Park in Atlanta and Globe Life Field in Arlington have been added to the mix.
Times are changing, though. One club is actively building a new stadium, while another recently secured government approval for one. Several others are pursuing or teasing new stadiums, including the Los Angeles Angels following this week's $4 billion sale to Stan Kroenke.
It's clearly a good time to get a lay of the land ahead, so let's break down all the teams and cities that are next in line for a new stadium.
Building: Athletics
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Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Projected Opening: 2028
What To Know
As of now, the Athletics' new stadium in Las Vegas is the only one that is for real happening.
In May, Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the A's had spent $400 million out of their $2 billion allotment for the stadium, making it on time and on budget. It'll be right on the Las Vegas Strip on the corner of corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.
The stadium is only going to seat 33,000 fans, but a more intimate experience is the whole idea. They say that 80 percent of the seats are going to be within the foul poles, allowing for a shared view of the field with the Las Vegas skyline beyond the outfield.
Will They Come?
The A's were a big draw in Oakland in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but less so as consistently low payrolls and gnarly conditions at the Oakland Coliseum drove fans away in the 2000s, 2010s and early 2020s. Naturally, they aren't drawing better in Sacramento since arriving last season. The only way to go from here is up.
At the same time, there has never seemed to be much demand for an MLB franchise in Las Vegas, and the A's brand doesn't exactly have the drawing power of, say, the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox or Cubs.
The NFL's Raiders have proved that a team can move from Oakland and find good attendance in Las Vegas, yet that has a lot to do with away fans coming to Las Vegas for a weekend. That kind of phenomenon may not translate to a 162-game baseball season that unfolds on a daily basis over six months.
Approved: Tampa Bay Rays
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Location: Tampa, Florida
Projected Opening: 2029
What to Know
This is hot off the presses, as a financing agreement for the Rays to build a new $2.3 billion stadium was only just approved last week.
The plan is to build it near Raymond James Stadium, which is about a half hour away from where the Rays currently call home at Tropicana Field. It's meant to be a stadium with at least 28,000 seats, indicating that, like the A's, the Rays are going for a more intimate feel.
Renderings for the new stadium make it look like a Mirror Universe version of Tropicana Field. Rather than dark and closed off, it looks intended to be bright and with a view of downtown Tampa beyond the outfield.
Will They Come?
The Rays certainly hope the answer is yes. In fact, they're counting on it.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, majority owner Patrick Zalupski is already hyping up the Rays being able to afford top-15, maybe even top-10 payrolls upon moving into their new ballpark. The Rays are usually in the bottom five of the league in payroll.
Time could actually prove Zalupski to be wise. Though the Rays have never drawn well, they're not abandoning a fanbase like the A's did. And unlike Tropicana Field, the new site will actually be in the more populous Tampa instead of the less populous St. Petersburg.
Proposed: Kansas City Royals
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Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Projected Opening: 2030
What to Know
This project isn't moving forward yet, but it's another where the latest development happened recently.
In late August, the Kansas City city council approved a $600 million commitment for a new stadium that would be part of a mixed-use development near downtown Kansas City. The team is footing another $760 million, with hopes that the state will provide an additional $540 million. The goal is to break ground in 2027.
It's unclear what the capacity is meant to be, but renderings released by the team depict the new stadium as a more modern-looking Kauffman Stadium. Most notably, there will still be fountains beyond the center field wall.
Will They Come?
In all fairness, it's not as if the Royals currently play in fan-repellent stadium akin to the ones the A's and Rays are looking to leave behind. Kauffman Stadium generally rates highly, including among Yelp reviewers.
Nonetheless, Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973 and is thus firmly on the dated side. It also hasn't exactly been a place to be in recent years, with the Royals ranking in the bottom five of the AL in attendance annually since 2022.
Simply changing the location of where the Royals play home games could help bump the numbers up. Kauffman Stadium is not in downtown Kansas City, whereas the new site would be much closer in the Crown Center area.
Announced: Chicago White Sox
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Location: Chicago, Illinois
Projected Opening: TBD
What to Know
The prospect of the White Sox building a new stadium in the proposed "The 78" neighborhood of Chicago first popped up in 2024, but it was a dream at that point as much as anything else. Plenty of renderings. No solid plan.
Now the ball is moving in the right direction, courtesy of future White Sox owner (it's complicated) Justin Ishbia.
As reported by Jon Greenberg of The Athletic on Saturday, Canal Edge, a development company controlled by Ishbia, announced plans for a new mixed-use development in the South Loop with a new White Sox stadium as its centerpiece. The proposed site is next to the Chicago River and is meant to be "integrated into the surrounding neighborhood fabric, with programmable open space, retail, and dining designed to activate the area 365 days a year."
Will They Come?
Anything would be an upgrade over Rate Field. It opened in 1991, the year before Oriole Park at Camden Yards kicked off a wave of retro stadiums that felt like destinations as much as ballparks. The White Sox missed the boat.
If the White Sox do get a stadium at Ishbia's proposed site, there would be at least one major advantage beyond the newness of it all. The South Loop neighborhood is closer to the heart of Chicago, potentially making the new home of the White Sox a hot spot with greater access to more people.
The interesting thing is that the new site would move the White Sox closer to Wrigley Field. That potentially sets up a sort of turf war between the White Sox and Cubs for fans, which would heighten an already intense local rivalry.
Teasing: Los Angeles Angels
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Location: TBD
Projected Opening: TBD
What To Know
Don't read too much into recent headlines boldly proclaiming that the Angels' owner-in-waiting, Stan Kroenke, already has plans to build a new stadium.
Those headlines stem from a report from Barry M. Bloom of Forbes that was subsequently corrected like so: "Information about building a new ballpark was removed from this story on Wednesday because a spokesperson for Kroenke said the Angels were not ready to move forward on the project at this time, but might in the future."
Still, this will do for a hint that Kroenke has a new stadium on his mind. It's definitely time for one, as Angel Stadium is 60 years old and not especially beloved.
Will They Come?
Even sans solid plans for a new stadium, it already feels like a given that things are looking up for the Angels franchise.
Whereas Arte Moreno was a truly singular disaster as an owner, Kroenke's teams in the NFL, NBA and NHL have won championships. Once he's able to remake the franchise in his image, the Angels should go from being a perennial embarrassment to regular contenders.
As is, the franchise has the benefit of MLB's second-biggest market and the fifth-best attendance among AL clubs even amid one of the worst years in club history. Give this fanbase a new stadium, and the numbers can only go up.
Fair to Ask: Diamondbacks, Guardians, Blue Jays
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Stadium Status: Chase Field since 1998
As recently as 2022, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick was openly musing about the possibility of a new stadium in the Phoenix area. Chase Field isn't that old, but it does feel dated and is not particularly well liked.
As of 2025, the D-backs are nonetheless supposed to remain at Chase Field for another 30 years after Arizona governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill that appropriates $500 million for renovations. Yet as Zach Buchanan of Axios reported, negotiations over the actual lease have grown contentious since then.
Cleveland Guardians
Stadium Status: Progressive Field since 1994
The Guardians have already gone the renovations route with Progressive Field, unveiling new improvements in 2024 and 2025. Those have helped modernize a ballpark that started as retro and was beginning to feel more like just plain old.
Yet since Progressive Field is MLB's 10th-oldest stadium, the relative oldness is still a thing. Maybe it won't happen soon, but the Guardians belong on list of teams to eye for a new stadium after the A's, Rays, Royals, White Sox and Angels get theirs.
Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium Status: Rogers Centre since 1989
Like the Guardians, the Blue Jays have taken to renovating the Rogers Centre. It was a $400 million project undertaken between 2022 and 2024, and the stadium's aesthetics and general vibe are definitely better for it.
Yet as Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in 2022, the Rogers Centre renovations are "a medium-term solution." Rogers Centre is the sixth-oldest stadium in MLB, so it should just be a matter of time before concrete plans for a new ballpark are drawn up.
Possible Expansion Sites
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Nashville, Tennessee
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has talked a lot about expansion in recent years, and Maury Brown of Forbes recently cited three cities that "may currently have a bit of a leg up compared to the competition." Nashville is one of them. There is an organized effort to bring an MLB team, as well as a solid idea for a new stadium.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is another of the three cities that may have an edge on other possible expansion sites. There's already a proposal for a $1.8 billion stadium and, just this past week, Shreyas Laddha of The Salt Lake Tribune reported on how Utah's bid for an MLB team "has only gained momentum."
Portland, Oregon
Portland is the third city that may be ahead of all the others in pushing for an expansion team. In 2025, Oregon governor Tina Kotek signed a bill that authorizes up to $800 million for a new stadium. There are renderings for what it would look like on a piece of riverfront property on the Willamette River.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a booming market, and it was even floated as a possible alternative for the Rays before they secured a deal for a new stadium in Tampa. The "Orlando Dreamers" project reportedly has $1.5 billion committed to team ownership and another $1 billion for a new stadium.
Montreal, Quebec
The Montreal Expos still live on social media, and there is a movement to bring them back. Baseball in Montreal famously did not work out the first time, but perhaps it's time to try again. The area has 4.4 million people living in it, and Olympic Stadium is still there and undergoing major renovations.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.
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