Manfred: Canadian cities beyond Montreal viable for MLB expansion

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes there could be more Canadian teams outside of the Toronto Blue Jays.

"There are certainly other cities in Canada (beyond Montreal) that would be viable expansion candidates," Manfred said Saturday at Rogers Centre before Game 2 of the World Series, according to Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports.

Manfred has openly talked about Vancouver landing an MLB team in the past. The city is currently home to the Vancouver Canadians, one of the Blue Jays' Single-A affiliates.

The Blue Jays became Canada's only club when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington in 2005 after being north of the border for 36 years.

"The Blue Jays have done a phenomenal job, not only in the home market but throughout Canada, developing an audience and developing a fan base," Manfred added. "The viewership numbers we've had from Canada throughout the postseason are really a boost to the game."

Toronto's Game 7 win over the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS reached a record-breaking 11.8 million Canadians on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+. An average of six million viewers watched as the Blue Jays returned to the World Series for the first time since 1993. That number peaked at 8.3 million for the final out of the historic contest.

The previous high was Game 6 of the 2015 ALCS, when an average of 5.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the Blue Jays fall to the Kansas City Royals.