Manfred: Montreal, Mexico City front-runners for expansion

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is not only a fan of keeping the game fun, but he'd also like to see it make strides in expansion.

Manfred told CSN Chicago on Thursday he'd "love to see" MLB expand after a new labor deal is finalized, and stadium situations in Tampa Bay and Oakland are resolved, according to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.

Manfred named Montreal and Mexico City as the front-runners for possible expansion sites, with the latter holding considerable interest to the league. "Mexico City, in particular, would be new ground for us,” he said.

Montreal sold out two exhibition games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox prior to the 2016 campaign, showing that passion for the sport remains high in the Canadian city.

Manfred thinks expanding the league to 32 teams is inevitable.

"I have said publicly that I think baseball's a growth sport, a growth business, that sooner or later growth businesses expand," Manfred told The Associated Press on April 21. "If we were to expand, I do think a city that makes sense geographically - meaning in terms of realistic travel distances and is outside of the 48 contiguous states - would be positive choice for us in terms of growing the game."

The Expos were members of the National League from 1969-2004 before the franchise moved to Washington and took on the Nationals moniker.

After a 12-year hiatus, Mexico City hosted two spring games between the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres in January.

Portland has also been named as a potential expansion destination by Manfred in the past.