TORONTO, ON- JUNE 16 – For Father’s Day, Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) wore a pair of shoes that featured his Montreal Expos father Vladimir Guerrero as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre in Toronto. June 16, 2024. (Photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays are in the World Series. For years, before a change in their ownership situation and an agreement for a new ballpark that will likely increase attendance, there was the latent threat of relocation, though. Would that relocation have come with a rebrand — a new team name and identity that fits where team moved to? Who knows. Montreal Rays… or a resurrection of the Montreal Expos? Who can say.
On the flip side, we have the Athletics. They’ve moved, they’ll move again, they’ve moved many times before. But they stayed the Athletics.
And, of course, expansion is coming… but that’s not the same thing.
Even recent relocations in other sports haven’t seen this kind of makeover (though maybe some have, I can’t recall). The Rams, Chargers, and Raiders are still the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders. There used to be more relo-and-rebrand, like the Oilers-into-Titans and Hornets-into-Pelicans-but-wait-the-Hornets are back.
But, I think the last one in baseball was Expos-into-Nationals in 2005, and before that, it was… Senators-into-Rangers, right?
Anyway, do you think we’ll see this in baseball again? Or will everything become chained by nostalgia/continuity with only new teams getting new brands?