Brewers could threaten to relocate if funding for stadium improvements falls through

It seems as if the Milwaukee Brewers are going to be the next team to threaten relocation if they do not get the public funds they want for stadium upgrades.

According to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Friday, the Brewers could begin looking for a new home this winter if local and state officials cannot reach an agreement on a taxpayer-funded project to make upgrades to American Family Field.

The Journal Sentinel's Molly Beck reports that process could result in them looking at Charlotte and Nashville as potential new homes. 

This fight has been brewing for some time now as the team seeks to make improvements to the 22-year-old stadium that first opened for the 2001 season. 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers previously proposed spending $290 million on upgrades. The original construction cost of the stadium was $392 million. 

The renovations that the Brewers are seeking are a required part of their lease, which runs through the end of the 2030 season. An unnamed source told the Journal Sentinel the Brewers want to stay in Milwaukee, but it is simply a matter of making the funding work.

That is always the key element. Putting the relocation possibility out there is always the first move in the playbook when a sports team wants to get money from the public. Major League Baseball already has a very ugly fight playing out with the Oakland A's and its attempt to relocate to Las Vegas over the lack of a stadium deal in the Bay Area. 

MLB has not had a team move since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington and become the Nationals for the start of the 2005 season. The league has not expanded since the 1998 season when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays entered the league.

Expansion seems like it is something that could be on the horizon in the near future, while Charlotte and Nashville are expected to be on the short list for potential teams. Leaving those markets open in the short term gives MLB and teams like the Brewers possible destinations to use as a negotiating tactic to try and get money from their current cities.