A Montreal millionaire trying to bring the Expos back already has a stadium plan ready

A Montreal entrepreneur’s ambitious plan to bring the Expos back to the city just got a major boost, and it’s coming from someone inside Major League Baseball itself.

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, the founder of WatchMojo, who’s been working on what he calls the “Peanut Project,” shared some news this week, revealing that an MLB executive responded to his cold outreach and has now connected him with potential investors.

In a recent X post, Karbasfrooshan said that if he succeeds in bringing an MLB franchise to Montreal, he’ll make sure there’s a plaque at the stadium entrance honouring the executive. “If Montreal ever gets Nos Amours back, I will ensure that every Montrealer will know his name,” he wrote, describing someone who “spoke to MLB on behalf of our beautiful city” when he “didn’t have to.”

For anyone who missed it, Karbasfrooshan first announced his intention to pursue bringing an MLB team back to Montreal in late 2025. The Expos left Montreal for Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season, and more than two decades later, plenty of Montrealers still feel the sting of losing their team.

While there have been many rumours over the years, what’s different about Karbasfrooshan’s effort is that he seems to actually have the resources and connections to make something happen.

Here’s what we know about his plans so far.

A stadium plan is already in motion

One reason the Expos — who played out of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in their final years — were forced to relocate was the absence of a proper field.

The core of Karbasfrooshan’s proposal is something he’s calling the “4C Civic Project.” It’s basically a privately financed development that would include a new baseball stadium along with commercial spaces, cultural venues, and community areas all in one district.

The location would be somewhere downtown. However, Karbasfrooshan hasn’t publicly revealed exactly where yet, despite throwing out suggestions like the Old Port and Royalmount. What he has shared are some pretty detailed numbers about what the project could mean economically.

In a blog post he published this week titled “The Real Economic Impact of the Expos, a Stadium, and the 4C Civic Project,” Karbasfrooshan breaks down what the development could generate for Montreal. During construction alone — which would take four to six years — the project would allegedly create between 16,000 and 25,000 jobs.

Once everything’s up and running, Karbasfrooshan estimates the stadium and 4C district would create 7,000 to 11,000 permanent jobs. Karbasfrooshan projects between $800 million and $1.2 billion of economic impact per year, which would add up to $15 to $25 billion over a 15- to 20-year period.

“The real question is not whether a baseball team can succeed in Montreal,” Karbasfrooshan wrote in the blog post. “The question is what a privately financed stadium and a broader 4C civic project would mean for the city, its economy, and its long-term competitiveness — with or without baseball.”

One thing he keeps emphasizing is that the project wouldn’t require any public funding for the team or stadium. But governments would still benefit financially through income taxes, GST and TVQ, increased property values, and tourism revenues.

The money is coming together

When Karbasfrooshan first announced his plans back in December, he mentioned that investors who’d expressed interest in WatchMojo collectively manage over $500 billion. The catch is that MLB limits institutional ownership to 30% of any team.

Over the holidays, Karbasfrooshan kicked things into high gear. In posts on X, he explained that he reached out to more than 50 high-net-worth individuals and family offices. At first, he didn’t hear much back. Then, in the second week of January, the replies started coming in.

He’s being careful about how he describes the interest, calling it “curiosity” rather than firm commitments. “I break down corporate development into Interest, Intent & Action & conservatively I would describe these as… ‘Curiosity’ to manage my own & the fans’ expectations,” he wrote on X.

The response from private equity firms has apparently been strong. In another X post, Karbasfrooshan said he has “more interest from PE than I can deploy into a single franchise” — not just for MLB, but potentially for teams in the NBA, NFL, or NHL as well.

Now he’s working through the technical details of how to actually structure ownership within MLB’s rules.

Montreal’s competition for expansion

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said publicly that he wants to add two expansion teams after the league resolves its 2026 labour negotiations and renegotiates media rights in 2027. That puts expansion realistically at 2028 or later.

For Montreal, that means the main competition is Nashville and Charlotte for an Eastern expansion slot. In posts on X, Karbasfrooshan explained that he’s been putting together a SWOT analysis (that’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) comparing Montreal to these other cities. He’s even asking fans to help refine it by sharing what they know about Nashville and Charlotte.

“Our objective is clear: ensure our proposal decisively outclasses what Nashville or Charlotte can offer,” Karbasfrooshan wrote on X. He thinks Montreal has some unique advantages that neither competitor can match.

For one, there’s WatchMojo itself, which reaches 100 million people monthly and could serve as a global promotional platform. The 4C project would also include something Karbasfrooshan calls the Academy and Study of Entrepreneurship, designed for athletes who want to pursue business ventures after their playing careers. “These days, athletes don’t want to be broadcasters or coaches post-career, they are entrepreneurs and investors,” he noted in an X post.

The district would include museums and pavilions meant to showcase Montreal to the world. Karbasfrooshan seems to envision the 4C project as a destination that works even on non-game days.

The long game

In his December blog post, Karbasfrooshan wrote: “If I may be candid, the more I study the opportunity and survey the landscape, the only real curveball I see is MLB awarding Montreal a franchise slot. Other challenges are complex, but solvable.”

It’s worth noting that WatchMojo, which he founded, is one of YouTube’s most successful channels and one of the largest independent media companies in the world. Over two decades, he’s signed hundreds of local and international partnerships and built experience across content, sales, marketing, legal, HR, technology, finance, and partnerships.

As for his motivation, Karbasfrooshan has stated that the Expos leaving Montreal affected personally. He was a young radio host covering the team back in 2004. “Twenty years ago, when the Expos left Montreal, I felt powerless,” he wrote. “I was doing everything I could to help keep MLB here, but the truth is I had no real influence at that age.”

In the same December post, he explained why he felt he had to at least try: “Considering that for 20 years I told everyone ‘I started WatchMojo to bring back the Expos,’ it began to feel hypocritical to ignore this calling now that I’m actually in a position to explore it.”

For Montreal baseball fans who still feel the loss of their beloved team, Karbasfrooshan’s progress represents something rare: hope backed by real resources and momentum.

In the meantime, folks who want to help can weigh in through surveys on Karbasfrooshan’s website, Context is King, or share what they know about competing markets.

As he put it, “let’s leave no stone unturned.”