It's been a while since Dodger Stadium hosted an All-Star Game.
It's been a while since Dodger Stadium hosted an All-Star Game. (USATSI)
Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that San Diego's Petco Park will play host to the 2016 All-Star Game. We already know Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park is the host for the 2015 Midsummer Classic. In light of the news, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of the teams/cities most "due" to host the event.

That is, excluding the next two hosts, let's look at teams and venues having gone the longest without hosting the All-Star Game.

First, the current venues that have never hosted the event.

•Yankee Stadium - Old Yankee Stadium went out with the event in 2008, so the guess here is the Yankees have to wait a while before getting another one. Then again, it's New York, so you never know.

•Tropicana Field - Nope, the Tampa Bay Rays have never hosted the All-Star Game and the best guess is they won't get one so long as they are still stuck in The Trop.

•Citizens Bank Park - The Phillies hosted the All-Star Game in 1996 in Veterans Stadium. Since moving into their new yard in 2003, they haven't really been strongly connected in rumors to getting another crack. They should be in the mix soon, right?

•Nationals Park - The Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005 and the Nats moved into their current home for the 2008 season. This has long been the rumored favorite for the 2017 All-Star Game and it would make sense. Washington D.C. last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1969, back when the home team was the Senators.

•Marlins Park - The Miami Marlins are only entering their fourth season in their new home and the franchise has never hosted the All-Star Game. Given the ability of Miami to put on some pretty big time events, it seems like this park should be in the mix sooner rather than later.

Now, here are the 10 franchises with the longest drought of hosting, including the year of the last time the club housed the the All-Star Game:

  1. Dodgers, 1980
  2. Nationals/Expos, 1982
  3. A's, 1987
  4. Cubs, 1990
  5. Blue Jays, 1991
  6. Marlins*
  7. Orioles, 1993
  8. Rangers, 1995
  9. Phillies, 1996
  10. Indians, 1997/Rays**

* - The Marlins have never hosted and began play in 1993
** - The Rays have never hosted and began play in 1998

This alternating leagues thing that MLB had been doing seems to be presenting a problem at this point, taking into account all the circumstances at play.

Again, the Nationals make sense for 2017 while the Phillies and Marlins new stadiums make them great candidates as well. The game has to go back to Dodger Stadium soon, too, right? How about Wrigley Field once all the renovations are complete?

The stadium issues in Oakland and Tampa Bay make the best AL candidates the Orioles and then probably the Blue Jays. After that, would they really go to Texas' Globe Life Park again before visiting all the NL venues I mentioned above?