Milwaukee Brewers Set To Explore Relocation To Another City (Nashville? Salt Lake City?) Later This Year

The Milwaukee Brewers could be the latest MLB team to change cities under Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Despite claiming it as his "top disappointment," the Oakland A's are well on their way to Las Vegas after securing hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new stadium.

READ: ROB MANFRED SAYS #1 DISAPPOINTMENT IS A’S LEAVING OAKLAND, WEEKS AFTER MOCKING A’S FANS

And the Brewers may soon be on their way to following in the A's footsteps.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported recently that the organization is set to begin exploring relocation possibilities later this year. Unless there's a significant, rapid shift in stadium renovation negotiations with a state-owned district.

This possibility has been on the table for several months, but this is the most concrete indication yet that relocation is a distinct, immediate possibility.

READ: ROB MANFRED COULD THREATEN BREWERS WITH RELOCATION IF THEY DON’T IMPROVE THEIR STADIUM

The Brewers and MLB have maintained that American Family Field needs $448 million of renovations to stay current across the league. The state's Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District is responsible.

While the team's lease runs through 2030, efforts to secure public money have yet to come to fruition. Leading to this concerning news about the future of baseball in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 03: Milwaukee Brewers fans tailgate outside of the stadium prior to the game between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Monday, April 3, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jeffrey Phelps/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Milwaukee Brewers Latest Example Of Importance Of Public Money In MLB

For their part, according to Front Office Sports, the team continues to say they want to stay in their current stadium.

“We will keep working with both sides of the aisle to find a creative solution to ensure the stadium district can meet its obligations and sign a generational lease extension at American Family Field,” said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers president of business operations.

But with several cities such as Nashville, Charlotte and Salt Lake City circling as potential relocation targets, time is rapidly running short. As an aside, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds are a minor-league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

It's an unfortunate reality of the current business climate that team owners and Manfred have realized that they can offload huge portions of construction and renovation costs to taxpayers. For local fans, it's a stark reminder that their loyalty only runs one way.

Teams and ownership are first and foremost interested in maximizing revenue, not staying in their city, which often results in strong efforts to secure state or local funding. American Family Field is just 21-years-old, but could soon sit empty if the state doesn't give the team roughly $300 million in public funding.

Given that relocation conversations could start this fall with no imminent no political agreement, Milwaukee's potential loss could soon be Nashville's gain.