Montreal waiting to hear from MLB: Bronfman
Investors have plan to welcome baseball team
Stephen Bronfman confirmed on Thursday that Montreal is ready for a new team and only waiting for the call from Major League Baseball.
From the sidelines of a Quebec baseball charity event, Bronfman, heading a group of investors trying to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal, repeated it on several occasions to members of the media: the group has done its work and is ready to welcome a team.
“You know, we did our homework, which is what the MLB asked us to do. We were discreet about it. When I say there was good and bad about yesterday’s leaked news, it’s because we don’t know what the league is going to decide. It’s not in our hands, it’s in the MLB’s hands,” Bronfman said. “What’s in our hands is being ready to present a viable product when we’ll receive the call. And we’re ready.”
Even if the call came soon, as in a few weeks or a few months?
“Of course. We’ll do it. We’ll get it done.”
On Wednesday, La Presse Canadienne, citing a well-informed source, indicated that the group had met the conditions laid out by the MLB to be able to welcome a new team: to have a concrete financial plan, government support, and a site and plans for a new stadium.
The source confirmed the money was there, that two of three levels of government were on board and that the group has a couple of sites and at least five stadium plans in mind.
The source had also said the group was ready to move forward with the project as soon as it received the call from the MLB, which Bronfman confirmed on Thursday.
But Bronfman added a little nuance to what was reported on Wednesday — clarifying that no official agreement had been reached with the government — and admitted that the public’s input for the construction of a stadium will be necessary.
“Sports are about teamwork,” he said. “To be successful, we need a team that works well together. The public and private sectors always work together.”
As for the new stadium, Bronfman reminded everyone that work would not start on it as long as the new team hadn’t been confirmed. The team would start its new life at the Olympic Stadium, as previously planned.
The group would even be ready to welcome an expansion team, Bronfman said, which would come with a price tag of more than $1 billion.
“It’s a lot of money, but we’re going to do it,” Bronfman said. “We’ll organize it. It’s going to happen. Whether it’s in two years or in seven years, no problem, I believe it’s going to happen.”
What’s in our hands is being ready to present a viable product when we’ll receive the call. And we’re ready.