{"id":42986,"date":"2026-08-13T11:11:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=42986"},"modified":"2026-08-13T11:11:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:11:26","slug":"is-orlando-destined-to-be-one-of-the-next-mlb-cities-the-orlando-dreamers-are-looking-to-make-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=42986","title":{"rendered":"Is Orlando destined to be one of the next MLB cities? The Orlando Dreamers are looking to make it happen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">When you think of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882615\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/southeast\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Orlando, Florida<\/a>, your mind immediately goes to theme parks.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">That&#8217;s fair enough; they&#8217;re what helped make Orlando one of the most-visited cities in the world, drawing tens of millions of tourists every year.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">And that&#8217;s just one of the reasons the Orlando Dreamers think the Central Florida city is the perfect place for a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882616\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/mlb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Major League Baseball<\/a> team.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882617\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Orlando Dreamers stadium\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>With the MLB looking to expand, the Orlando Dreamers are hoping the fast-growing tourist destination can become home to a team.<\/span> <span>(Credit: Orlando Dreamers)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">While cities like Nashville and Charlotte are often at the top of people&#8217;s lists when they talk about MLB expansion, Dreamers co-founder and COO Jim Schnorf believes there&#8217;s a multitude of reasons why Orlando will land a team.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We have no Major League Baseball here. We don&#8217;t have minor league, and we don&#8217;t have spring training,&#8221; Schnorf said. &#8220;Every other competing city except one has Triple-A, and the one that doesn&#8217;t have Triple-A has Double-A. So there&#8217;s an anomalous absence of professional baseball from the Orlando market.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Orlando also happens to be the biggest media market in the country without an MLB presence.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">And then, of course, there&#8217;s the tourism.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We&#8217;re the most visited destination in the Western Hemisphere, with over 80 million tourists this year,&#8221; Schnorf said. &#8220;Tourism matters a lot. Anyone who doesn&#8217;t believe that merely needs to look at the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882618\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/las-vegas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Las Vegas<\/a> model.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882619\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/private-equity-company-apollo-agrees-finance-deal-new-york-yankees-organization-2-6-billion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PRIVATE EQUITY COMPANY APOLLO AGREES TO FINANCE DEAL WITH NEW YORK YANKEES ORGANIZATION FOR $2.6 BILLION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/dreamers-concourse.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Orlando Dreamers stadium\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The Orlando Dreamers hope that the city&#8217;s massive tourism industry and large media market will help land an MLB franchise.<\/span> <span>(Credit: Orlando Dreamers)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Schnorf \u2014 who got the Dreamers ball rolling with the late Pat Williams, the long-time NBA executive who helped bring the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882620\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/nba\/orlando-magic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Orlando Magic<\/a> to town \u2014 was referring to how Las Vegas went from no teams in the Big 4 professional leagues to being on the cusp of having all of them within about a decade.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Schnorf pointed to the success of the Vegas Golden Knights and the relocation of the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882621\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/nfl\/las-vegas-raiders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> as examples of how a city with tourism as its biggest industry could support big league teams.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;So tourism matters immensely when it comes to the success of sports,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882622\" href=\"https:\/\/link.podtrac.com\/dmwdd_article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON\u2019T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">It can also help pay for it.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/dreamers-stadium-exterior.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Orlando Dreamers stadium\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The spot the Orlando Dreamers hope to develop into an MLB-caliber stadium is located south of the city&#8217;s downtown area, close to major attractions like SeaWorld and Walt Disney World.<\/span> <span>(Credit: Orlando Dreamers)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The organization recently put out new renderings of a state-of-the-art stadium that would be built on land near <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882623\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/travel\/vacation-destinations\/seaworld-orlando\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SeaWorld<\/a> just off of I-4, the main thoroughfare through the Orlando area.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Dreamers hope to use some of the tourism resort tax money that Orange County, Florida generates to fund it.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Orlando generates the most tourism resort tax of any metro area in the country, which can be used for tourism, sports facilities, convention centers, and so forth,&#8221; Schnorf said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">However, while a task force was put together to review proposals for projects like the stadium, they did not recommend moving forward with it.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Schnorf said that this was not a surprise as it came in the middle of an election cycle, among other reasons, plus the Dreamers&#8217; pitch had to be distilled into just fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We requested $975 million,&#8221; he said. &#8220;To put that in perspective, we got only 15 minutes to present that package. Normally, you would spend a minimum of a day, following months and months of work and research on our financial model and metrics.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">He did note, however, that the Dreamers already have a hefty amount of funding committed to the team.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got well in excess of $2 billion towards stadium financing and team acquisition in place under letters of intent,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Of course, even with a stadium in place, the MLB has to want to come to Orlando. Considering there are already two franchises \u2014 the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882624\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/sports\/mlb\/tampa-bay-rays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> and <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_outkick-sports_article_main-content_article-body_6_3882625\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/trump-takes-jab-mets-speech-praising-braves-ceo-lose-all-time\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miami Marlins<\/a> \u2014 and neither one is known for packing stadiums, that seems like a tough sell.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">However, Schnorf pointed to a moment in baseball history that suggests it can work.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;People ask about the other two teams in the state, &#8216;How can Florida possibly support a third team here?&#8217; Well, in 1969, California had five teams with a significantly lower population than the state of Florida has today,&#8221; Schnorf said. &#8220;Orlando is the fastest-growing metro area in the fastest-growing state in the country.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;We can definitely support Major League Baseball here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Matthew Reigle is a writer for OutKick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you think of Orlando, Florida, your mind immediately goes to theme parks. That&#8217;s fair enough; they&#8217;re what helped make Orlando one of the most-visited cities in the world, drawing tens of millions of tourists every year. And that&#8217;s just one of the reasons the Orlando Dreamers think the Central Florida city is the perfect&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/orlando-dreamers-stadium.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}