Blue Jays identity as "Canada's team" could be in jeopardy if Vancouver's mayor gets his way

For more than half of their existence, the Toronto Blue Jays had a Canadian rival in the form of the Montreal Expos. From 1977 to 2004, MLB resided in two cities and two provinces, expanding the sport in the Great White North.

Then, Canadian baseball took a hard hit when the Expos relocated to Washington and became the Nationals in 2005, leaving the Toronto Blue Jays as the only team for an entire nation. Since then, the Blue Jays have taken on the role of "Canada's Team" and run with it, being adored from coast to coast.

However, another Canadian market wants to throw its name into the mix with talks of MLB wanting to expand. The mayor of a West Coast city is making it clear they're going to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Mayor Ken Sim wants MLB baseball in British Columbia

On April 14, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced that the city will begin a motion to start a bidding process to bring an MLB expansion team. Per Mayor Sim, there has been interest from "prospective groups" in an expansion team coming to Vancouver.

In a statement, Mayor Sim said, "Our city has a strong sports culture and a proven track record of supporting professional teams. With the MLB publicly expressing interest in league expansion in the near future, we see an opportunity to position Vancouver as the next home for a franchise."

That said, one important note Mayor Sim didn't mention is where this Vancouver team would play. Currently, the only viable option (if there are no plans for construction) would be BC Place, where the CFL's BC Lions and MLS's Vancouver Whitecaps play. The low-hanging scoreboard would be one of the biggest obstacles, along with its low roof, which may cause issues for balls played in the air.

BC Place has hosted MLB exhibition games in the 1980s and 1990s, with the stadium originally designed for the potential of an MLB team in Vancouver. Unfortunately, the stadium wouldn't meet today's MLB standards, and Vancouver would most likely need to consider other options.

Another concern would be the publicized financial struggles of the Whitecaps for playing at BC Place. As talks are underway to see if a new soccer stadium will be constructed, adding another intense project with building an MLB stadium (which most likely needs to happen) may be too much for Vancouver.

Currently, there's a strong Blue Jays fanbase in British Columbia, evident whenever the team visits the Seattle Mariners, including when the Blue Jays and the Mariners played in last years' ALCS. Not to mention there are also many Mariners fans in B.C, given its close proximity. Not that a Vancouver MLB team wouldn't get its fans, but it wouldn't be a complete shock to see fans switch their allegiance (that's if they do).

Regardless, the idea of a Vancouver team seems interesting on paper, but it may be a bigger challenge to see it become a reality. Would it be a welcome change for a city that loves its baseball? Sure. However, Montreal would like to have a word.

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