MLB Players Vote On Favorite Expansion City, With Nashville The Clear Winner

Expansion has been an extremely hot topic around baseball, especially with news of the Oakland A's pending move to Las Vegas.

READ: ROB MANFRED ADDRESSES OAKLAND A’S REVERSE BOYCOTT AND MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

But if you ask Major League Baseball players where they'd like a new team to be located, it's not in the desert.

The Athletic conducted an anonymous survey of 100 current major leaguers, and asked where they believe a new team should be located.

And there was a resounding winner.

69 out of 100 respondents said they'd prefer Nashville to be an expansion destination.

Montreal came in a distant second at 10 out of 100, with Charlotte and Austin tying at 5% each.

Salt Lake City, Portland and Vancouver also received a small number of votes.

That has to come as a substantial blow to Utah organizers who've tried to position the region as a top target for an expansion team.

READ: SALT LAKE CITY GROUP WANTS TO BRING MLB TEAM TO UTAH, JOINS NASHVILLE, PORTLAND IN EXPANSION RACE

Nashville skyline at night. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Could Nashville Get An Expansion MLB Team Sooner Rather Than Later?

Nashville has become one of the country's fastest growing cities and regions over the past decade. New development, new housing, a decent climate and a low tax burden have all made the city desirable.

Turns out, MLB players agree with many others who've headed south.

The big question is, does the league agree with them?

Nashville presents a number of intriguing expansion possibilities for MLB.

Moving to Tennessee would give the league another foothold in the rapidly growing Southeastern part of the country.

The Atlanta Braves dominate baseball fans throughout most of the region, but a new team in Nashville could help grow the sport in a football-heavy area.

With the success of the minor league Sounders, Nashville's already shown there's significant interest in baseball around the city.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has previously said he wants to get the A's relocation situation figured out before potentially adding teams. With Nevada politicians clearing the way for a new stadium, that seems to essentially a done deal.

So will he turn his attention towards expanding sooner rather than later?

If he does, the players have a clear choice.

Where Else Would MLB Go?

Even if Nashville's selected, MLB would likely want to add multiple teams.

Despite player voting, Montreal feels like a long shot.

Charlotte, Austin or Salt Lake would all hit fast growing, generally desirable markets for the league.

Utah would add another team in the Rocky Mountain region to pair with Denver, while Austin could draw fans from nearby San Antonio as well.

Those both seem like strong possibilities, if Manfred does decide to move forward.

For baseball fans in the Music City though, this vote seems like reason to get excited.

Although as the A's situation shows, money talks the loudest. And given MLB's desire for public money, taxpayers better get their wallets open if they want to make expansion dreams a reality.