Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday that if Montreal is going to be a Major League city again, there needs to be a plan in place for a new ballpark.

"We're not going to play in Olympic Stadium," he told reporters.

Rob Manfred said if Montreal is going to be a major league city again, there needs to be a plan for a ballpark. "We're not going back to play in Olympic Stadium," he said. — Tim Healey (@timbhealey) November 16, 2017

"It would be extraordinarily unlikely for baseball to return to Montreal without some concrete plan as to where a team would play," Manfred said.

Manfred said in July during the All-Star Break that Montreal, Mexico City and Charlotte were among destinations that the MLB was considering expanding to, but maintained that finding new stadiums for the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics remain the top priority.

"I know the mayor of Montreal has been very vocal about bringing baseball back to Montreal," Manfred said told MLB.com's Mark Newman.

The news comes after the announcement that the government of Quebec is planning to replace the roof at Olympic Stadium, which has over 8,000 rips and costs over $1 million per year to maintain according to multiple reports. The renovation may cost up to $200 million and isn't expected to be completed until 2023.

“It’s like spending money on a 1984 Chevet, it just doesn’t make sense,” Matthew Ross told Global News. Ross is the founder of Expos Nation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing baseball back to Montreal.

Ever since the Montreal Expos franchise departed to Washington at the end of the 2004 season, the city of Montreal has been vocal about bringing baseball back to the city.

Earlier this year, the Blue Jays hosted the St. Louis Cardinals at Olympic Stadium for two spring training games. It marks the fifth year in a row the Jays have played preseason games at The Big O.

The MLB last expanded in 1998 to Tampa Bay.