League’s Expansion Plans, Agreement on Pact Linked

The timing of the National League’s expansion plans is directly tied to the new collective bargaining agreement, Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti said today.

“Within three months after the conclusion of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will announce a timetable for expansion. If the agreement is reached on Jan. 1, then by April 1 Bill (White, National League president) will announce the timetable,” Giamatti said after a joint meeting of American League and National League owners. “That’s it.”

Talks on the new collective bargaining agreement will be held this winter.

Giamatti said there were no other details, such as which cities are being considered for an expansion team, the price a new team would pay or any other questions. The commissioner said none of those things was discussed.

On Wednesday, the two leagues met among themselves and White unveiled his new three-man expansion committee and gave a report on plans to add teams.

“Things change,” White said when asked the reason for the new advisory group. “This committee will look at expansion from the point of view of locating sites, looking at how to stock the new clubs and looking at the differences in what they can do now from what they did when they went from 10 teams to 12.”

Named to the committee were New York Mets President Fred Wilpon, Houston Astros owner John McMullen and Pittsburgh Pirates board Chairman Doug Danforth.