Salt Lake City is becoming a sports powerhouse and an MLB franchise could be next.The Utah Jazz (NBA), Real Salt Lake (MLS), and Utah Mammoth (NHL) all regularly sell out pro games, while college teams are also thriving.Salt Lake City’s west side needs investmenthttps://www.instagram.com/bigleagueutah/Now, the Larry H. Miller Company has put substantial money behind the bid with the announcement of a $3.5 billion mixed-use development in the west side.The Miller family sold its stake in the Jazz for $2.25 billion in 2022 and baseball is next on the agenda on land it owns in the Power District.The proposal has been earmarked as the site of a big-league ballpark, with renderings outlining the vision.Early concepts show three distinctive chimneys behind the fence to hint at an industrial past with the Wasatch Mountains providing a stunning backdrop. “From a national perspective, I think a lot of people don’t realize all that has been going on in Salt Lake City,” The Athletic’s senior MLB writer Stephen Nesbitt wrote.The Mammoth’s arrival already been a triumph with the Delta Center gaining a reputation for enthusiastic, loud support and the 2027 Winter Classic heading for Rice-Eccles Stadium.Rob Manfred’s term as commissioner is up in 2028 and with the expansion drumbeat gathering pace, Salt Lake is emerging at just the right time.“Today, I don’t see another market that has the boxes checked that Salt Lake City does,” Nesbitt added. “At this point, I think the odds are Salt Lake City. But a lot can change in the coming years.”Utah boasts a geographical advantage on other contenders, including Portland and Nashville with two places expected to be awarded.There is a huge void in the Mountain West, which could be neatly filled by an expansion team that would be far enough away not to trouble the 30 current owners, who would not want to lose fans.There is a huge push to create a new ballpark with support from lawmakershttps://www.instagram.com/bigleagueutah/The Colorado Rockies (519 miles) and while Arizona’s Diamondbacks (700 miles) are the closest teams.Nashville, meanwhile, has the Atlanta Braves (248 miles), Cincinnati Reds (243 miles), and St. Louis Cardinals (253 miles) within a six-hour drive.Portland is only 174 miles from the Seattle Mariners.Governor Spencer Cox has signed two bills allocating $900 million each, with one earmarked to help bring MLB to Utah if an expansion is granted before 2032.The other could support a new arena for the Jazz and Mammoth.Utah has the fans, the money and the location. All that is missing is confirmation.The Mammoth have been a welcome addition to NHLGettyThe commonly held belief is that a team would be placed either side of the Rocky Mountains, with a predicted cost of $2.1 billion.But it has been suggested that the East Coast could be snubbed entirely when two new franchises are awarded.“I think if you are Major League Baseball, you want to expand to the best two cities, the best two candidates,” said Oregon-based radio host John Canzano, via KUTV, in 2025. “Forget east, west, north, south. You want the best two markets to come in and fortify your league.“For me, if those two cities are in the west, and it’s Salt Lake and Portland, then it’s Salt Lake and Portland. You eventually realign. We can redo these divisions.”Sacramento, California, is another contender while Canada and Mexico could provide opportunities outside the U.S..Stay up to date with the latest from the MLB across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.