1998 Major League Baseball expansion

The 1998 Major League Baseball expansion resulted in the establishment of MLB's 29th and 30th teams beginning play for the 1998 season. After initiating an expansion committee in March 1994, 27 groups representing nine cities submitted bids for the proposed expansion teams. After a yearlong process, on March 9, 1995, the league awarded the National League franchise to Phoenix and the American League franchise to Tampa. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (currently the Tampa Bay Rays), would subsequently begin play for the 1998 season.

With the successes of the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins following the 1993 expansion, Major League Baseball by 1994 was looking to expand again from 28 to 30 teams. On March 2, 1994, MLB created an expansion committee to evaluate the feasibility of expansion. Although both Phoenix and Tampa were believed to be overwhelming favorites for the franchises, other cities were invited to bid for the proposed franchises. The committee was headed by Boston Red Sox General Partner John Harrington, with others serving on the committee including Bill Giles of the Philadelphia Phillies, Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox, George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, Stanton Cook of the Chicago Cubs, Richard Jacobs of the Cleveland Indians, Stan Kasten of the Atlanta Braves, the president of the National League, Leonard S. Coleman, Jr., and the president of the American League, Bobby Brown.

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