SALT LAKE CITY — A group headed by the Miller family is looking to bring Major League Baseball to northern Utah.
Big League Utah is the name of the group created by Gail Miller, whose family was a longtime owner of the Jazz, and the Larry H. Miller Company. The group also includes former major league players Dale Murphy and Jeremy Guthrie.
“We believe in the power of sports to elevate and unify communities,” said Miller. “Larry and I risked everything to acquire the Utah Jazz, and it was a tremendous honor to ensure it thrived as a model franchise. We now have an opportunity to welcome Major League Baseball to Utah and invite all Utahns to join us in this effort.”
The group, which also includes local political leaders and investors, is looking to build a stadium in the Rocky Mountain Power District situated just west of downtown.
ESPNs Jeff Passan said the effort to bring a team to Salt Lake City would first be through expansion and not relocation, and that the expansion fee is expected to hit $2 billion.
"Salt Lake City is a major league city," said Steve Starks, CEO of the Miller Company. "We believe that as a top-30 media market in the fastest-growing state in the country with the youngest population, that's where our attention should be -- and that we could accomplish bringing a team to the Wasatch Front."
Gov. Spencer Cox believes Utah is a "baseball state" and has proven its sports credentials by hosting the Olympics and the recent NBA All-Star Game.
“Utah has the strongest economy in the country, is a top 30 media market, and is the fastest-growing state with the youngest population,” said Cox in a statement. “These are the ingredients for a Major League Baseball market. As the Crossroads of the West, Utah has successfully hosted large sporting events, like the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and two NBA All-Star Games and is home to thriving professional and collegiate sports teams. We boast of the Greatest Snow on Earth, five national parks and 46 state parks. We are on the radar and pushing as hard as we can.”
According to ESPN, conversations about bring a team to Salt Lake City began with Major League Baseball about a year ago.
Salt Lake City has had the Triple-A Bees since 1994 and are a franchise also owned by the Miller family. The Bees averaged 5,873 fans per game in 2022, according to Baseball America and are moving to a new stadium in Daybreak in 2025.
Following Wednesday's announcement, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, who supports the bid to bring MLB baseball to the area, said her administration worked "in good faith to keep the Bees" in the area and "did not know of their intent to pursue an MLB team and stadium elsewhere in the city."
Montreal; Las Vegas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Portland, Oregon, also have expressed possible interest in obtaining an MLB team. Salt Lake City is the 29th-largest Designated Market Area at 1.15 million, according to Nielsen. Charlotte is 21st at 1.32 million, Portland 22nd at 1.29 million, Nashville 27th at 1.7 million and Las Vegas 40th at 870,000.
"It's time," Murphy told ESPN. "It can happen. And it'd be a great market. There's a healthy love of baseball out here."
The Associated Press contributed to this story
