Project Peanut: Is the return of the Expos starting to become concrete?

For years, talking about the Expos returning to Montreal was mostly about nostalgia. In 2026, the conversation is beginning to shift. The Project Peanut, led by Montreal entrepreneur Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, is seeking to transform this ambition into an eventual structured bid for a Major League Baseball expansion franchise.

It must be immediately put into perspective: MLB has not awarded a franchise to Montreal and no official expansion process is currently open to Project Peanut. But recent steps taken show that the group is already trying to prepare the groundwork rather than wait for the launch of a potential process.

From dream to preparation

The difference from previous attempts is significant.

The project previously led by Stephen Bronfman had notably explored the possibility of sharing the Rays between Tampa Bay and Montreal. MLB ultimately closed the door on the "sister cities" concept in January 2022.

Project Peanut is aiming for something else: a true full-time Montreal franchise in the event that MLB decides to expand from 30 to 32 teams.

The group is therefore working upstream on several essential pieces of a potential bid: investors, executives, financing, real estate and stadium.

Karbasfrooshan has notably surrounded himself with people who have experience in professional sports. Names associated with the project include Dan Evans, former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as Dan Ventrelle, who has management experience in the NFL.

The stadium question becomes concrete

The most tangible development is probably real estate.

On September 4, Project Peanut published a request for land proposals to identify potential sites in the Greater Montreal area.

The document envisions not only a potential major league baseball stadium, but also a mixed-use district built around it. Landowners, developers, institutions, public agencies and other land holders were invited to express their interest.

However, be careful about what this approach really means.

This is not the choice of the future location of the Expos. The procedure is explicitly presented as preliminary and non-binding. Rather, it allows Project Peanut to identify possibilities, evaluate sites and, eventually, determine what a real stadium project could cost and require.

The group also searched for a person in charge of municipal affairs and stadium development, with responsibilities touching on real estate, zoning, permits and planning. This is another sign that the project is trying to gradually shift from mobilization to preparation of a more structured bid.

Why act before expansion even happens?

Because Montreal will certainly not be alone if MLB eventually opens the door to two new franchises.

Several American markets are already trying to position themselves. Waiting for an official expansion announcement before finding investors, land and a stadium concept would put Montreal at a disadvantage.

Project Peanut's strategy therefore seems to be the opposite: prepare as many elements as possible now to be able to react quickly if MLB triggers a process.

Karbasfrooshan himself actually presents Montreal as a market that may appear to be behind certain competitors, while emphasizing that the real MLB expansion process has not yet begun.

Major unknowns remain

Despite this activity, several determining pieces are still missing from the public picture.

The most important probably concerns owners and capital. Bringing an MLB franchise back to Montreal would require considerable financial resources. Project Peanut will therefore need to demonstrate that it has a sufficiently solid ownership group to compete with American bids.

The stadium question will also need to be resolved, a credible financial model established, and current MLB owners convinced that Montreal represents a long-term growth opportunity.

And most importantly, a decision is completely outside Project Peanut's control: MLB must itself decide to move forward with an expansion.

That's why it would be premature to say that the Expos are about to return.

What has really changed

What becomes interesting is therefore not the existence of a rumor announcing the imminent return of the Expos. No such announcement exists.

The change lies elsewhere.

A Montreal group is now working on the elements necessary for a potential bid: sports expertise, real estate, municipal relations, stadium concept and investor mobilization.

Project Peanut is still very far from a franchise.

But it is trying to ensure that, when MLB asks interested cities to show their hand, Montreal finally has a real one to put on the table.

After more than twenty years without major league baseball, that may be where the most important news lies: the return of the Expos remains hypothetical, but someone is now concretely working to prepare the bid.