Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly will serve as a baseball adviser for a Nashville group trying to land an MLB franchise, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
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Nightengale writes Mattingly will stay in his role with the Blue Jays while acting as an adviser for the Nashville Stars.
The Stars group is led by former Blue Jays pitcher and three-time World Series champion Dave Stewart.
“The approach that Dave Stewart and his team have in Nashville is exactly what the game of baseball needs. I am glad to see MLB taking an active approach on these important issues. We need more diversity in the game, and it starts from the top-down,” Mattingly said in a statement, per Nightengale.
Other notable baseball advisers on the Stars’ website include former Blue Jay R.A. Dickey, Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations David Dombrowski and longtime MLB manager Tony La Russa.
Stewart told The Tennessean last year he would like a Nashville team to begin play in 2026.
The Blue Jays hired Mattingly, the former Miami Marlins manager, this off-season after the Marlins and the former New York Yankees star player parted ways.
Mattingly also has worked as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN last year he would like to get to 32 teams. MLB currently has 30 teams.
MLB hasn’t expanded since adding Arizona and Tampa Bay in 1998.
