Does Selig truly plan to elimate teams? There are two possibilities: one, he plans to whack two franchises to ease the financial strain of MLB, or two, he is attempting to use one of the few tools available to him that the union doesn't have to approve as a negotiating leverage, or as leverage to get new stadiums funded by the government.
Can Selig really do it? Not without making a mess of the 2002 season. Scheduling problems,legal problems, and player dispersment problems alone would take several months to iron out.
It has become clear that two of the franchises that have been rumored to be atop the elimination list (Minnesota and Florida) want out. The rumors surrounding the sale of the Marlins started this week, meaning that John Henry plans to get out of the baseball business. Also, Carl Pohlad, owner of the Twins, was publicly upset over the judge who ruled that the Twins had to play out the 2002 season. On the other hand, the owner of the Expos does not want to be eliminated.
So, the question in my mind is: why not move the franchises? There are plenty of cities in the US that are fit for a team. Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Memphis all have successful minor league teams, with Sacramento and Memphis outdrawing the Expos. Plus, Charlotte and Louisville could also be considered. This list of possible cities is in no way comprehensive, so why can't MLB put together a list and try to move them? The reason would have to be that any new city would be toward the bottom of the revenue list. This means that any revenue sharing or luxury tax money would probably go to them and less would go to the Milwaukee Brewers. Maybe that's too simplistic, but that type of thinking plays a role.
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