Dundon says Raleigh is top contender for future MLB team

Tom Dundon is betting Raleigh’s growth can help bring Major League Baseball to Wake County, but the real test is not enthusiasm. It is whether the city can line up land, money and political support for a ballpark large enough to matter. The Carolina Hurricanes owner has said he wants to lead a group to bring an MLB team to North Carolina and has called Raleigh “the best place in the country for a new MLB team.”

For Wake County, the pitch lands in a place that is already growing fast enough to strain roads, schools and public services. County leaders say Wake is adding about 66 people a day and has gained more than 103,000 residents since 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the county’s population at 1,257,235 on July 1, 2025, up 11.3% from the 2020 census base, and the county reported 8,113 building permits in 2025, including 1,416 residential permits issued by Raleigh.

The political lift would be just as steep. Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell has said the city’s growth, construction activity and public-private investment show momentum, but she also said Raleigh needs state and federal support for major infrastructure projects such as bus rapid transit, highways and bridges. That is the kind of public spending backdrop that would shape any discussion about an MLB franchise, especially if a stadium deal required new roads, parking, transit upgrades or utility work around a ballpark site.

MLB itself has not announced an expansion plan, even though the league has 30 teams and Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he hoped to have a process in place before his term ends after the 2028 season. The last expansion came in 1998, when the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks entered the league. Earlier reporting has put a possible expansion fee near $2.2 billion per team, a reminder that the franchise itself would be only part of the cost.

The stadium question may be the hardest one in Raleigh. Raleigh Economic Development says Dundon’s group is evaluating potential sites, with public discussion centering on areas near the Lenovo Center and downtown Raleigh. The Hurricanes’ arena is already getting a $300 million renovation, the team’s lease runs through 2044, and Dundon has access to about 80 acres around the building for a mixed-use project, though team officials say a baseball stadium would not fit on that footprint. Separate commentary has estimated a Raleigh ballpark could cost between $1 billion and $2 billion, raising the prospect of another local fight over who would pay.

North Carolina has added major pro sports through both expansion and relocation over the past 35 years, including the Hornets, Panthers, Hurricanes, Courage and Charlotte FC. But Raleigh’s baseball push would still have to clear the same hurdles any big-league city faces: land, infrastructure, financing and a public willing to shoulder the cost.