Raleigh is desperate to be among the cities in the mix for a long-awaited MLB expansion team.Plans have been put together to construct a $1.7 billion ballpark to add weight to a bid in a massive TV market.Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon wants to expand his portfolioGettyBut The Carolina Journal reports that a proposal to finance the project is being left out of a state budget North Carolina House and Senate leaders agreed Sunday.Per WRAL, House leaders did not want to commit public money to a baseball team.The proposal is not completely dead and could be revisited as a standalone bill, but a lack of political support is a major hurdle.Watching the Carolina Hurricanes lift the Stanley Cup showed the potential of Raleigh as a sports hub.Over 192,000 fans attended celebration, according to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is a long-time supporter of a bid and first declared interest in 2023.“We’re going to put ourselves in a really good place, and if they decide to expand, we’ll have a compelling offer,” he told WRAL.NC Courage investor Marc Lasry has also come forward as a potential backer.Raleigh has massive advantages for MLB expansion bidThe Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area serves 1.5 million people and is the 22nd-largest television market in the U.S. — the biggest without an MLB team.It is also the wealthiest area in the continental U.S. not boasting a club within 100 miles.Fans packed the streets to celebrate the Canes’ victoryGettyThere is a huge potential audienceGettyNorth Carolina State University economist Mike Walden estimates that an MLB franchise in Raleigh or Charlotte would create 2,000 to 2,500 permanent jobs and produce $300 million annually.An 80-acre plot in the Lenovo District has already been identified by Dundon’s group as the location for a mixed-use development including a ballpark.Including expansion fees, the expected cost exceeds $4 billion.To help, $500 million was requested in state funding, with taxes covering the rest.It is a similar model to Charlotte’s contribution of $650 million toward renovating Bank of America Stadium –– the home of the NFL‘s Panthers.Gov. Josh Stein is a supporter, as is outgoing Senate Leader Phil Berger.Rob Manfred wants expansion to 32 teams to be his legacyGetty“I don’t think you get a Major League Baseball team or a professional football team at this point without there being some cooperation on the part of local and/or state governments,” said the latter.MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s term is up in 2029 and he wants two new teams confirmed by then.If Raleigh cannot get funding, it will be a boost to other contenders including Nashville, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and Montreal.Stay up to date on all things MLB across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.