The state of Utah just passed a bill S.B. 272 which would cost taxpayers almost $1 billion, and it would help in bringing an Major League Baseball team to Utah.

I am a big baseball fan, and I even play baseball. When I heard the talks of bringing an MLB team to Utah I was so excited. But then I started to think about it. If we bring an MLB team to Utah, we want to do it the right way, and that starts by knowing the MLB rules.

By that I mean in the MLB there is no salary cap like there is in football and basketball. Instead there is a tax. That means that when a team goes over a certain amount, they are taxed. This is a very owner-friendly rule because rich owners can go way over, and it barely affects them.

This rule has recently come to light with the Dodgers signing Shohei Ohtani for $700 million and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for $325 million in the same offseason. On top of that, they have to pay their players already on contract. The Dodgers’ owner has a net worth of $5.8 billion. Gail Miller has a net worth of $3.9 billion which could cause some separation between Utah’s team and other teams.

I think the best idea is for Utah to host the Oakland Athletics during their two-year dead period between running out of their lease and moving to Las Vegas. The team would play at the Power District that’s being developed by the Larry H Miller Company and the Miller Family I believe this is the best solution because Utah and the MLB can get a feel for the vibe around baseball in the state. If we are ready to host an MLB team, we’ll know and so will the MLB.

If that trial period works out, we can jump in without skipping a beat.