The Orlando Dreamers announced earlier this week that Hall of Famer Barry Larkin has joined the organization, which has the goal of getting an MLB franchise in the city. Larkin, who now lives in Orlando, has the title of MLB ambassador with the Dreamers. Pat Williams, the late former executive for the NBA’s Orlando Magic, co-founded the Dreamers in 2019 as an effort to get an MLB franchise. While Williams passed away last summer, the organization has continued that goal.
“I spent considerable time talking to key people in Major League Baseball, including Commissioner Manfred, before committing to join the Orlando Dreamers’ effort,” Larkin said in the press release. “There were many phone calls to (co-founder Jim Schnorf), asking detailed questions concerning the approach, the accomplishments to date, and the strategies moving forward. It became immediately apparent that Orlando has the most compelling market in the country to be the next MLB franchise location. … At this stage in my career, nothing could be more exciting than being a key part of this effort in my adopted home of Orlando, Florida.”
Larkin is a Cincinnati native who spent his entire 19-year big league career with his hometown Reds. He won the 1995 NL MVP award behind a .319 average and Gold Glove defense at shortstop. Larkin made 12 All-Star teams, won the Silver Slugger award on nine occasions, and collected a trio of Gold Glove awards. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 2012, his third year on the ballot.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said on multiple occasions that he hopes to finalize plans for expansion from 30 to 32 teams by the end of his tenure. He plans to retire when his current contract expires in January 2029. While it’s highly unlikely that expansion teams would be on the field by the ’29 season, it’s possible that host cities could be settled by that point with the league moving to 32 teams early in the 2030s. Manfred has suggested that expansion would be on the back burner until the A’s and Rays’ stadium situations were finalized.
The A’s plan to be in Las Vegas in time for the 2028 season. The Rays seemed to have a long-term stadium plan in St. Petersburg, but the devastating hurricane in the area last fall has thrown those plans into question. That combined with a changed county council makeup after Election Day led the county to delay approval of bonds that’d finance the stadium. The Rays have claimed that makes it impossible to have the new stadium complete for the 2028 season. The team is responsible for cost overruns on the project, which it says will be exorbitant with construction going until 2029.
While Pinellas County approved the bonds last month, the Rays reiterated that the delay has proven too costly. They’re pushing for more public funding as a result, which the county has indicated it is unwilling to approve. The Rays have until March 31 to meet various construction benchmarks on the project or the bond agreement will automatically be nullified. They are committed to play at Tropicana Field through the 2028 season. The Trop was severely damaged by the hurricane and it is unclear whether it’ll be playable by 2026. The Rays will play their ’25 home games at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field, home of the Yankees’ Low-A affiliate.
Larkin said at his introductory press conference that the Orlando group is open to pursuing both an expansion franchise or a potentially relocated one (alluding to the Rays’ situation). Manfred was asked about the possibility of relocating the Rays in November. He replied that MLB remained “focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay.”
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