3 cities that should have a MLB team

The NFL is returning to Los Angeles in 2016 following a 21-year hiatus after league owners approved a bid Tuesday that will see the St. Louis Rams head west.

Though neither relocation nor expansion appears to be on the MLB horizon, poor attendance or the inability to build a new stadium could eventually lead to some struggling markets losing their teams.

Here are three cities that should have a MLB franchise:

Montreal

There's a long way to go for baseball to return to "La Belle Province," but Montreal is making strides to resurrect a team that relocated to Washington in 2004. Strong attendance numbers during a recent exhibition series featuring the Toronto Blue Jays has elicited cries for relocation, though commissioner Rob Manfred stressed the desperate need for a viable stadium as the first major hurdle needed to leap before penning the rebirth of the Expos. Still, Montreal boasts the largest population of any Canadian or American city that doesn't feature a major-league team and owns a strong enough economy to warrant consideration if a new stadium is ever figured out. - Brandon Wile

Las Vegas

Las Vegas natives - and two of the game's biggest stars - Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant already own keys to the city, which has brought the "City of Lights" to the forefront of relocation talk. In September, Manfred discussed a potential expansion team surfacing in the desert, when he explained that major stopping points could be gambling and whether the city, which only boasts a population just north of 600,000, can generate enough fan support to handle an 81-game home schedule. Although the idea seems appealing because of the glitz and glam attached to the area, Las Vegas' Triple-A squad - the New York Mets farm team - managed an average attendance of only 4,834 in 2015, so Manfred's concerns are legitimate. And with a potential NHL club arriving in "Sin City," there may not be enough room for two professional sports franchises. - Bryan Mcwilliam

Havana

Former commissioner Bud Selig's dream was to expand the game internationally, and the Cuban capital seems like a logical place for MLB to make that vision a reality. A caravan of MLB stars embarked on a goodwill tour of the baseball-obsessed nation in December, and with improving relations between the United States and Cuba, it seems like only a matter of time until a franchise is relocated there. With an explosion of Cuban talent defecting to play in the majors in recent years, it makes sense for the country to have its own team. However, negotiating the process with the Cuban government will surely be a lengthy and complex process. MLB is hoping to play an exhibition game, that would include the Tampa Bay Rays, in Havana this spring. - Greg Warren