Magic Co-Founder Looks To Be Trying To Lure MLB To Orlando

One of the men responsible for bringing the NBA to Orlando seems to be interested in bringing Major League Baseball to the City Beautiful too.

According To WESH 2 News, Pat Williams — one of the co-founders of the Orlando Magic — is part of a group called Orlando Dreamers Baseball; hoping to make Orlando an MLB city.

“We're ready to be a major league baseball city. And a city isn't considered major league unless it has baseball and the arts,” Williams said.

It's expected that the MLB will add a pair of teams in the next few years. That makes now as good a time as any to start getting a potential bid in order. One of the things Williams seems to think will attract the MLB is the promise of a brand-new stadium.

“When we go in front of Major League Baseball and make our pitch, we want the finest ballpark that has ever been done. And we want people to just walk into that ballpark and gasp,” he said.

Orlando Dreamers Baseball has proposed just that. They've proposed a $1.7 billion stadium to be built near the Orange County Convention Center. The group wants the county to use $975 million in tourist tax dollars to fund the project.

The group says the stadium would hold 45,000 people and create tens of thousands of jobs.

Orlando already has an NBA team and an MLS team. Could Major League Baseball be next? (Getty Images)

Could Orlando Be One Of The Next MLB Cities?

Orlando is already home to the Magic as well as Orlando City SC of the MLS. So the city can support major teams, but whether baseball can get a foothold remains to be seen.

The tourist hotspot is one of several cities vying for MLB franchises. Others that could be possible MLB destinations include Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Montreal.

While the idea might be to snag an expansion franchise there could be another option. Orlando could be a viable relocation spot if the Tampa Rays stadium situation can't be worked out.

Williams has been pitching the Orlando Dreamers for years with the latest move being the stadium proposal. In 2019, the group unveiled a possible logo and it is... definitely a logo.

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