Since the 2011 absorption of four Northern League clubs, the American Association has operated with no fewer than 12 teams every season since then (2020 aside). That 2011 season saw 14 clubs compete, then 13 teams play in 2012-13 and again in ’15, while maintaining 12 teams in 2014 and every year since 2016.
Furthermore, since the Lake Country DockHounds were established in 2022, the circuit has enjoyed five consecutive seasons with the same lineup of teams—something no unaffiliated league has ever accomplished in the modern era (post-1993) of independent baseball.
But all signs point to that changing in the very near future. No sign is more evident than the head honcho himself, American Association commissioner Joshua Schaub, saying so himself on the Chicago Dogs broadcast on Saturday, August 1:
The full transcript:
AARON SHELAN (Chicago broadcaster): I don’t know if you can give me any of the details, but I love talking expansion. It means growth, it means more teams, it means more opportunities for players. We got anything coming up?
SCHAUB: We do. So we have an announcement August 12 about our 13th team joining the league, so we’re excited about that. And it’s not just a team, it’s a development. It’s, you know, you’ve been to Ballpark Commons in Milwaukee. I think that’s our future and we’re gonna be announcing a much larger one on August 12. I’ll be there for the groundbreaking.
[A couple minutes later] SCHAUB: I’m excited for the future because we’re not done yet. August 12 is just the start of what I think will be a string of announcements.
The obvious takeaway from that? Well, circle August 12 on your calendar. After years of the league saying they want to expand, expansion is finally coming. Barring a major hiccup somewhere in the next ten days, that is when Team #13 is being announced. Now comes the obvious question that derives from that: where is this team going?
Over the past several years, various communities in in the periphery of the AA’s footprint have been subject to anything from rumors to formal proposals, some of which directly mention the American Association and some that just hint at it. There’s one clear front-runner, but we’re nonetheless going to visit all of them just to check in.
Blaine, Minnesota
I won’t drag it out: Blaine is the frontrunner here. Located north of Minneapolis just west of Interstate 35W, the Twin Cities suburb of an estimated 76,000 people is already home to the massive National Sports Center youth sports hub, which is where the proposed ballpark (and mixed-use development) would be built. The city approved zoning to advance the project in October, 2024. More on that will come later.
The AA has eyed the Twin Cities for close to a decade, even when St. Paul was still in the league. A group in suburban Shakopee was eyeing a relaunched Minneapolis Millers with the goal “to be a part of the American Association and revive the old-time rivalry between the Minneapolis Millers and the St. Paul Saints” (two longtime Triple-A rivals from 1902-60 in the original American Association). The 8,000-seat ballpark was announced in November, 2019 with a target to open in 2021. COVID-19 thoroughly killed that project.
Denton, Texas
One of the biggest problems the American Association currently faces is the Cleburne Railroaders being marooned eight hours away from their nearest opponent. The fast-growing city of 169,000, located off I-35 at the north end of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, would be a perfect geographic fit to give Cleburne a desperately-needed travel partner.
The North Texas Nine, a group looking to also bring back University of North Texas’ long-shuttered baseball program, travelled to Fargo to make a presentation to the American Association at the 2025 All-Star Game and Commissioner Schaub had positive things to say. Virtually nothing has been heard from them since, though. Notably, local officials didn’t go any further besides acknowledging the effort, while North Texas athletic director Jared Mosley didn’t show much enthusiasm for restoring baseball, citing rising costs and Title IX concerns.
Jersey Village, Texas
A small city of 8,000 located immediately north of Houston proper, the city began discussing the idea of a ballpark in 2021, completed a feasibility study in July, 2022, and received a formal letter of interest from the American Association soon thereafter.
Despite the small size of Jersey Village proper, its close proximity to Houston and other outlying communities was a selling point. Plus, the Houston area saw tremendous success with the launch of the Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012, leading to their subsequent affiliation with the Houston Astros beginning in 2021. Jersey Village is also a manageable 3.5 hours from Cleburne.
However, little other progress was made on this proposal, which is probably dead after the city opted to sell the proposed ballpark site in October, 2024.
Waco, Texas
The Waco area has spent close to a decade kicking the tires on a minor league baseball stadium, dating back to a project in neighboring Bellmead that was announced in 2016 and a ballpark vote was seriously considered in the fall of 2017 (which never happened) for a 2019 launch in the Southwest League that was due to debut the same year (which also never happened).
Fast forward to early 2024, Waco began reviewing options for a downtown ballpark, though the Double-A Texas League was the implied target. Later that year, the city announced a massive 20-year downtown redevelopment project, with a ballpark slated for the back half of that timeline, only for the city to say in December, 2024 that they may fast-track a ballpark project. A June, 2025 story indicated a “renewed appetite” for minor league baseball, though the Texas League was again the target, this time named in writing.
Nothing more has been announced since then, but Waco is one locale that would be extremely ideal for solving the Cleburne problem: while it stretches the league footprint further south, it’s not by much. The two cities are barely an hour apart, with Waco situated right along I-35.
Other Proposals
Clarksville, Tennessee: Located northwest of Nashville, the city of 166,000 expressed interest in a downtown ballpark and accompanying development in 2023, with note that a potential team would play there “whether they are affiliated with Major League Baseball or not.” However, the entire project fell apart in April, 2025 when the developers pulled out.
Fort Worth, Texas: Home to the American Associations’ Fort Worth Cats from 2001-14, various plans were floated to bring LaGrave Field back to life, including a lease agreement being signed in 2019 with a team returning as early as 2020. That agreement was cancelled, though, when agreed-upon work wasn’t completed. The ballpark was condemned in 2024 and demolished in 2025.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Located southeast of Nashville, Murfreesboro has roughly tripled in size since 2000, now home to an estimated 171,000 people. It’s also the furthest east option, relative to the league footprint. Renderings were released in November, 2024 for a group wanting to build a ballpark in the city. The mayor, though, quickly threw cold water on that idea once the scope of requested public funds ($25-40 million) was made more clear.
Shreveport, Louisiana: Formerly home of the American Association’s Shreveport Sports/Captains from 2003-11, mayor Adrian Perkins pitched a new ballpark in late 2022 with the impending demolition of Fair Grounds Field (which came down in 2024). Notably, REV Entertainment was behind the proposal to bring a new team to the city of 176,000. However, Perkins was voted out of office just weeks later later and REV moved on, purchasing the Cleburne Railroaders in 2023 and the Kane County Cougars two years later.
That Brings Us Back to Blaine
Meanwhile, remember when I mentioned more on the Blaine project? Well, not much on that project had been said for some time…until July 13, when the Coon Creek Watershed District Board of Managers met. Buried on page 150 of a 190-page meeting packet is the approved permit for a baseball stadium.
Additionally, some digging has revealed that a commission meeting is scheduled for August 12 and a “one-time event” is on the docket at Blaine City Hall on August 14.
Does that mean it’s definitely happening? Not quite yet, as shovels aren’t in the ground yet and it’s still unclear exactly if the funding for the ballpark is already secure (and who’s paying for it). But it’s still the most recent and most significant step any new locale has taken.
So, can we expect an American Association franchise to be awarded to Blaine this month? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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