The greater Sacramento area launched a formal campaign for a Major League Baseball expansion team, the “Sacramento Pitch,” on May 28.

“When MLB moves forward on expansion, Sacramento will be impossible to ignore,” said Mark Friedman, board chair of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, in a statement.

“We have the market, the site, the capital, and the community. Sacramento is ready to compete—and Sacramento is ready to win.”

The campaign proposed a mixed-use 50-acre ballpark site in downtown West Sacramento, a city across the Sacramento River from Sacramento and home to over 50,000 people.

Greater Sacramento has a population of nearly 2.7 million and has grown approximately 10 percent in the past decade, according to the campaign.

The campaign identified nearly $2 billion in potential funding, including $800 million from private investment, with the cost of land bundled in.

An additional $1 billion would be funded by the city of West Sacramento through a combination of tax increment financing—loans the city expects to pay back with the additional tax revenue the project will generate—hotel taxes, and other sources.

The campaign said the city’s investment would be generated only by activity in the proposed ballpark district and would not impact West Sacramento’s general fund or require taxpayer votes.

It also said the ballpark district is projected to earn $1.77 billion in tax revenue over the next 40 years, with the remaining $770 million allocated to support schools, the county, and other special districts. However, these figures do not account for inflation or the present value of future revenue and financing.

An organization for The Sacramento Pitch was formed to lead the bid for Sacramento’s MLB team.

The campaign said that Greater Sacramento is the second-fastest-growing employment market in the Western United States and the 20th-largest TV market in the country.

“Greater Sacramento has the fundamentals of a major league region with the upside of an underserved market,” said Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, in a statement.

“Sacramento is the largest media market in the country with only one major league sports team.”

Sacramento has one major league sports team, the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, but the city is temporarily hosting the Las Vegas Athletics while the baseball team transitions following its departure from Oakland and prepares to move into a permanent stadium in 2028.

In the team’s first season in Sacramento last year, the Athletics recorded the lowest fan attendance in the league. This season, they once again have the lowest average, averaging approximately 10,600 per game, nearly 2,000 fewer than the next-lowest, the Miami Marlins, as of May 28.

Despite this, organizers remain optimistic that Sacramento’s market is suitable for an MLB team.

“This is a defining moment for West Sacramento, and we’re ready,” said West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero.

“This region offers a practical and achievable path for long-term MLB success, and we have the financial capacity, community support, and clear vision needed.”