Former MLB star wants Nashville expansion with 2023 Winter Meetings held there: “Means everything to me”

Nashville doesn't have an MLB team, at least not right now. There's a strong push for the expansion that commissioner Rob Manfred speaks so fondly of to take place in the city in Tennessee, though. With the Winter Meetings officially taking place there, the baseball world gets to inhabit the city that one ex-player hopes has its own team one day.

Former MLB player Dave Stewart envisions a retractable roof ballpark in Nashville, where his team can play. He'd call them the Nashville Stars, in reference to a Negro Leagues team's name.

Stewart, who played primarily for the Oakland Athletics, said this via USA Today:

“This project means everything to me. America is trying to be more cognizant of Black leadership in different businesses across the country. You look at baseball, which has been an industry for more than 100 years, and it has been behind in everything.

"This is big, not just for baseball, but for all industries in America. We are going to have a franchise that’s truly diverse, and one the whole world can be proud of."

Stewart has spent the past three years heading the effort to get the MLB to expand into Nashville. He believes the area is in need of the team, and he's made it his goal to make that a reality. He spends half a month there every month to try and work with city officials to get this to happen.

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Former MLB player hopeful for Nashville expansion team

There are a lot of potential locations for an expansion. Charlotte, Portland, Montreal, Raleigh, Orlando and many others are a consideration. Dave Stewart, who also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, believes Nashville is the spot, though.

Stewart wanted find out what the city was about, and once he started spending time there, he couldn't help but become a part of the community. He said:

"I realized how important this is to North Nashville. This is an area that’s economically depressed, a predominant area of African-Americans. So why would we not take the opportunity to extend the economics from downtown to North Nashville?"

Dave Stewart, an Oakland native, wants Nashville to get a team

He likened it to his childhood area, one that has now officially lost its baseball team to relocation:

“I grew up in an environment in East Oakland that’s similar to North Nashville. I know what this means to the people here. This is why I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into this."

Time will tell if he can truly realize his dream.