Date(s) November 5, 1976 | Overall selections 60 | |
First selections Ruppert Jones, Seattle MarinersBob Bailor, Toronto Blue Jays | ||
The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises established via the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion that were set to start play in the 1977 season.
Background
Seattle was promised a franchise by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. During the summer of 1975, there was speculation that the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, or San Francisco Giants could move to Seattle. When none of these plans proved successful, the American League added a team in Seattle. With thirteen teams in a league creating a scheduling nightmare, the league awarded a franchise to Toronto over Washington, D.C. in March 1976.
Danny Kaye, part-owner of the Mariners, announced the club's first selection.