kutv.com · September 8, 2026
Utah’s MLB expansion bid called front-runner in ESPN interview with Gov. Cox
# Utah's MLB expansion bid called front-runner in ESPN interview with Gov. Cox
by Jonathan May, KUTV
Tue, September 8, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Updated Tue, September 8, 2026 at 1:07 PM
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A rendering for a proposed baseball stadium on the Jordan River in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City and Portland are considered to be the front runners for a Major League Baseball team, should the league decide to expand or relocate another a team. (Courtesy: The Larry H. Miller Company)
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The possibility of bringing a new MLB team to Utah was discussed in a recent ESPN interview between senior MLB insider Jeff Passan and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
Passan called Salt Lake City a favorite for a new Major League Baseball expansion team in the West.
Passan spoke with representatives from six cities — Salt Lake City, Montreal, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh and Portland — that made their cases for MLB expansion.
"Look, Utah has been preparing for this day for a long time. We like to refer to ourselves as the state of sport. We care deeply about sports here and we care deeply about community and building community, doing it the right way,” Governor Spencer Cox said.
Cox laid out why he believed Utah was the right place to land an MLB team.
"Our economy we're the fastest growing economy in the nation. We were just named the number one state in the nation for the fourth year in a row,” Cox said. “We've got the right potential ownership group. Just the whole community is together. Republicans, Democrats, we all believe in this.”
## Passan’s article outlined the Salt Lake City market:
- Lead group: Big League Utah - Combined statistical area (as of 2020 Census): 2,705,693 - Media market: 28th - Owner: Yes. The Larry H. Miller Company. - Stadium funding: Yes. A $3.5 billion pledge from ownership for a 100-acre multiuse development and $900 million in state funding intended to cover half the cost of a stadium. - Stadium site: Yes. The Power District, a massive site on Salt Lake City's west side that is already under construction.
A major part of the pitch is that Utah is already ahead of the curve when it comes to a new ballpark.
“They have the design partners. We the major league ballpark. We know what this is, what this is going to be, what this is going to look like, and it's going to take other municipalities and other states a long time to catch up on just on that piece alone,” Cox said.
Passan asked Cox how Utah planned to save the Great Salt Lake, given concerns a new MLB team could face potential environmental issues.
Cox laid out what he believed was a clear plan to protect the Great Salt Lake.
"We're working with the White House. President Trump has committed a billion dollars to helping to refill the Great Salt Lake. We have a plan in place. We just secured 144,000 acre feet of water to go to the lake,” Cox said. “I've never been more bullish on our ability to become the first, by the way, the first state, the first country in the world to save a great saline lake once it starts into decline.”
Two years after the state hurled its first pitch to entice a Major League Baseball franchise to Utah — specifically the Fairpark area in Salt Lake City — grand slam development has not happened yet. (Photo: Larry H Miller Company)
Questions about market size and infrastructure also came up during the interview. Cox argued that looking only at Salt Lake City was too narrow and that the entire state should be considered one market.
"When you look at Utah, it's a little different than traditional markets. You have to look a little broader than you would just looking at Salt Lake City. The way Utah works, we're just one market,” Cox said. “3.5 million people in the state of Utah, that starts to put us on par with some of those other markets. Again, we would not be the smallest market in Major League Baseball by a long shot."
On a lighter note, Cox said a wide range of dirty sodas would be available for thirsty baseball fans in Utah.
But Cox said he hoped that would not become the team name.
“The Miller Group actually owns Swig as well. So, they're the major investors in in in the dirty soda chain that's uh that's sweeping the nation right now,” Cox said.
The full interview with Cox can be viewed here.