Portland group moves to buy land for Major League Baseball stadium

Portland could be one step closer to finally having a major league baseball team after a group aiming to bring the sport to the City of Roses made formal offers on two plots of land large enough for a 32,000-seat park, Craig Calcaterra writes for NBC Sports. The move comes as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has signaled interest in expanding the MLB to 32 teams. A Portland team would strategically fill a void in America's northwest corner, which is occupied solely by the Seattle Mariners.

"The potential ballpark, which at the moment is promised to involve no public funding, would be designed by Populous, the Kansas City-based architecture firm known for ushering in the Camden Yards-era of ballparks," writes Calcaterra. The effort is headed by the Portland Diamond Project, which is led by retired Nike vice president Craig Cheek.

If MLB does not ultimately expand, the Portland stadium could become a new home for teams looking to possibly relocate, like the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays. Read more about the Portland effort at Willamette Week and NBC Sports.

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