Brewers Enter September With Best Record in Baseball

Labor Day is always a bittersweet day on the baseball calendar.  It serves as the unofficial end to summer with cooler temps starting to roll in, which is always a little sad from a baseball attendance and travel perspective knowing that the season is nearing the end.  However, it also kicks off the most exciting couple of months' worth of action of the entire year.  The "dog days of summer" are fleeting fast, and teams summon every last bit of strength and grit to make it through the final 25 games of the regular season - and for 12 lucky teams, the postseason.  My Milwaukee Brewers are in the midst of their most prolific regular season in franchise history, in which we are on pace for 100 wins and are all but certain to be one of those 12 playoff teams once again in 2025.  I say this every year around this time, but it bears repeating just how impressive an era of Brewers baseball we're in right now, and I try to savor it every day.  Barring some unforeseen tragedy, this is going to be their 7th postseason berth in the last 8 years, with at least 4 and hopefully 5 division titles during that span - and for a team that is dead last in market size and consistently in the bottom third in team payroll, that is nothing short of remarkable.  The Brewers are 4th in all of MLB in total wins since the start of 2017.  We're at a point in Brewers history where we expect to win, and given all of the horrible years we struggled through during my formative years, I try not to take this stretch for granted.  The fact that I'm still steaming from back to back losses to the Jays and Phillies, who are the 2nd and 3rd best teams in baseball right behind us, when we still have a miniscule magic number of 10 with a month left to go in the season, and coming off a 21-9 August which included a 14-game winning streak, tells you all you need to know about expectations this year.  Being a Brewers fan nowadays is about balancing being grateful that we have gotten to watch competitive baseball for nearly a decade with no signs of a window closing, with the fact that simply making it to the postseason is no longer good enough.

We are in an era of Brewers baseball that emphasizes run prevention and fundamentals over strikeouts and homeruns, and it finally feels like every team with a payroll under $300M is starting to catch up to that philosophy.  That was especially evident these last two days watching us play the Blue Jays and Phillies.  The Jays are pretty much a carbon copy of the Brewers - play great defense, great rotation pitching to contact, run the bases really well, high on base percentage with not a lot of slug, a fair amount of positional versatility and depth, and the bullpen is just a who's who of castaways that are kind of the weak link.  The Phillies on the other hand are a bunch of beef cakes set in their positions who mash their way to victories and are loaded with arms that can strike you out, and lots of big name free agents and trades.  Neither way is necessarily wrong, it's just that the Phillies way of doing things costs a lot more, because homeruns and strikeouts still equal WAR, which equals a big pay day.  The Brewers simply cannot afford to go out and sign Kyle Schwarber, and they have to win in the aggregate and in the margins with speed, taking the extra base, and doing the little things right.  They lead all of baseball in 4+ run innings, and a large portion of those have just been hits strung together rather than one or two homers.  It can't be overstated how difficult it is to win that way in today's game with everybody throwing 95+ with movement, but the Brewers do it consistently.  Other than our bullpen, there are just not a lot of holes in our team, and their style of play is fun to watch and very "next man up" mentality.  I think Pat Murphy is the perfect manager for this team and has installed a work ethic and mindset on this team that makes you feel as a fan like they're always trying, they're always in the game, and they're always having fun, which is all you really want as a fan.  Nobody likes to pay hundreds of dollars to go to a game to see people strike out 4 times, or not hustle running to first, to lose their focus in the field, or to get blown out 10-1.  I can't even remember a year where I never wanted to miss an inning or ever turn a game off, because I always feel like they have a chance to win.  And if I can feel that through the TV as a fan, then you know the other team feels that too, and that's kind of the point.  "Relentless" or "undaunting" or "pesky" as Murph would say.

I'm not even sure anymore what my point was when I started writing this post other than just brain-dumping how proud I am of this organization, but I guess I'm just trying to say that the Brew Crew has a style of play that matches up well with anybody, and it gives me higher hopes than in recent years that we can make a deep run in the playoffs.  Hindsight is 20/20 and I've probably said that before, but I sincerely believe it.  It's been interesting to watch how the team's core strength has shifted from hitting during the late 00's/early 10's, then shifted to a dominant pitching staff during most of the Craig Counsell era, and now is starting to shift back towards hitting with stellar defense mixed in during the Pat Murphy era, all while quietly ascending to the #2 overall farm system.  If we can just keep this team bandaged together and hungry the last few weeks of the season, I'm really excited to see some Uecker Magic this October.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/2/25:

Brewers 85-54, +5.5, magic number 10; 3 v. Phillies, 3 @ Pirates, 3 @ Rangers, 3 v. Cardinals

Twins 62-75, -17.0, -10.5 WC; 4 v. White Sox, 3 @ Royals, 3 @ Angels, 3 v. Diamondbacks

Athletics 64-75, -12.5, -9.5 WC; 3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Angels, 3 v. Red Sox, 3 v. Reds

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 9
Peter - 28

Arizona Approves Funding for Chase Field Renovations

(photo from my visit to Chase Field for the 2023 World Series)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in the process of selling off players to plan for their future, and they're planning for their future on the operations side as well.  Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed legislation last month that will unlock up to $500 million in funding for critical Chase Field infrastructure renovations.  These funds are being activated through an increasingly common mechanism in the sports world (including the new A's park), which is essentially a tax district that will capture all sales tax revenue generated by the stadium and a defined surrounding area, as well as "jock tax" revenue, and use that money to pay back the funds.  Not to get too much in the weeds here, but I think it's worth pointing out in today's political climate that the governor is a Democrat in a purple state and this bill received wide bipartisan support.  I mentioned in a post last year that the Diamondbacks are up against the end of their current lease approaching in 2027, and without these renovations, the team surely would have been forced to explore other stadium options.  So, regardless of what you might think of subsidizing sports venues, it was a wise move for Gov. Hobbs' reelection campaign to push for this bill to ensure the D-Backs did not leave Phoenix under her watch - this new source of funding will keep the Snakes in Phoenix through at least 2057.  Chase Field has been a boon to the urban core since the franchise's inception, particularly within the last few years following the team's World Series run in 2023.

I was at that World Series, and I vividly recall how much the stadium had barely seemed to change at all in the previous 16 years since I was first there in 2007.  The speaker system was a garbled mess, the jumbotron looked like it was well past its functional use, screens were pixelated and hard to read, and the air conditioning did not seem to be reaching to the upper deck where I sat.  By that point in 2023, the D-Backs had not even been able to safely open their roof for a couple of years while fans were inside.  All very similar problems that the Brewers faced recently, which also had to be rectified with state funding.  The Chase Field bill passed by the State of Arizona made it very clear that no money can be used for any aesthetic upgrades or fan suites, so if you factor in the $250M the team is also kicking in for that aspect, this stadium could look and feel very different in a few years.  Selfishly, I'm always sort of secretly hoping for new stadiums, but in the case of some teams like the D-Backs or the Blue Jays that have prime downtown real estate with an expensive obsolete roof, a renovation makes way more sense.  Despite the fact that I've been to Arizona for baseball more than just about any non-resident state, I may just have to return to see the renovations when they are complete.  It's a very exciting time in my world as a ballpark chaser, as all these chess pieces start to move with different teams, to think about how different the baseball stadium landscape might look in the next decade.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/31/25:

Brewers 64-44, +1.0, -- WC; 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves, 3 v. Mets

Twins 51-57, -12.0, -5.5 WC; 3 @ Guardians, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Royals

Athletics 48-63, -15.0, -10.0 WC; 3 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Orioles

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 24

Tampa Bay Rays Reportedly Being Sold

It was announced around the All-Star Break last week that Stu Sternberg, the current majority owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, had reached an agreement in principle to sell the team to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, a Florida developer.  Details are scarce at this point, other than the fact that the valuation is around $1.7 billion, and that the deal could be completed as soon as September.  It's worth noting that Sternberg originally purchased the Rays for "only" $200M in 2004.  One other important detail is that Zalupski is interested in keeping the team in the Tampa Bay region, despite being based out of Jacksonville, and surely that had some weight in Sternberg reportedly accepting his bid.  This all comes at a time when the Rays are in the middle of a playoff push in their temporary home at an A-ball park, and the team's immediate and long-term future homes are both severely in doubt.  The MLB schedule has been released around this time the last few years, and I suspect it hasn't been released for 2026 yet because nobody is certain whether or not Tropicana Field will be repaired in time for next season.

Let's for argument's sake say the sale does go through.  Even if that happens, this essentially resets the entire new ballpark process back pretty close to square one.  Which means that we're looking at probably minimum 5 years out for when the Rays could potentially be playing in a permanent new home.  The new ownership group could certainly build off the legwork of past site studies, government negotiations, and designs, but they are also reportedly only interested in covering 60% of the stadium cost, which will mean trying to resurrect old public financing deals or finding money elsewhere.  St. Petersburg says they're keeping the door open to the new ownership group, but I find it hard to believe that they'd open their ears and their wallets all over again, only this time in 2026 dollars.  The new ownership group reportedly does prefer Tampa to St. Pete, but the current ownership group has tried and failed so many times in Tampa that I can't see that happening unless there is a larger private financing chunk, or if new previously unvetted sites emerge.  Tampa is in a different county than St. Pete which further muddies the political aspect.  The biggest site contender for a ballpark in Tampa in the past is now slated to become a soccer stadium, so that would seem to be off the table.  I'm obviously not a real reporter and I'm not privy to the day-to-day conversations, so maybe things have changed on that front, and maybe Tampa is willing to loosen their purse strings since they were within a fingernail of the team building in St. Pete.  But purely as an outsider who's been following this story for 20 years, to say I'm skeptical is an understatement.  My money would be on Orlando swooping in.  They've demonstrated that they have substantial private backing and have an organized campaign to bring a team to the area.  I could see them partnering with Zalupski to make something happen there if he doesn't have the stomach for a multi-year process in Tampa Bay.  I'm honestly kind of surprised that Orlando didn't win a bid to land the Rays in the first place.  Orlando is only about 90 minutes from Tampa and roughly the same size and media market, so I think this would also satisfy Commissioner Manfred's desire to keep a team in this area.  I've been wrong many, many times before, but as of July 21st 2025, that is my guess.

As always, and as I say multiple times a year with the Rays - stay tuned.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/21/25:

Brewers 59-40, --, +5.0 WC; 3 @ Mariners, 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Cubs

Twins 48-51, -11.5, -5.0 WC; 3 @ Dodgers, 3 v. Nationals, 3 v. Red Sox

Athletics 42-59, -16.0, -12.0 WC; 3 @ Rangers, 4 @ Astros, 3 v. Mariners

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 23

A's Officially Break Ground on Las Vegas Ballpark

(photo credit: The Nevada Independent)

The day I never thought would happen has happened.  After over two decades of in-fighting, failed proposals, multiple ownership groups, and burned bridges in not one but two Northern California cities, the Athletics finally broke ground on a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip this past week.  It is a beautifully designed armadillo-like structure by one of my favorite architects - Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), who incidentally also designed the failed Howard Terminal ballpark in Oakland that I personally thought was even cooler - and, barring any setbacks, is slated to be open for the 2028 season.  I've been saying since the A's started pursuing Vegas a few years ago that I won't believe this is actually happening until I see a shovel in the ground, and I witnessed with my own two eyes multiple gold-plated shovels in the ground during the ceremony.  I actually tuned into the live-stream just to make sure what I was seeing was real.  MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Steve Hill of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Governor Joe Lombardo, Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, embattled owner John Fisher, and A's President Marc Badain were among the dignitaries who pretended to shovel dirt from the pristine photo-op diamond-shaped dirt pile inside an air-conditioned trailer on the construction site, as part of an event that was emceed by team broadcaster and former Athletic player Dallas Braden.  

The groundbreaking event was pretty generic and scripted and typical of this type of ceremony, which was a little surprising given how Las Vegas operates, but the symbolism of this particular groundbreaking held a little bit more weight then many of its kind.  This was not a team simply building a new stadium just because they felt like they needed a new one like the Braves and Rangers in recent years, and this was not a team like the Twins or Brewers that broke ground on a park under threat of move or sale if it were not built.  Rather, this was a team that was actively homeless, playing in years of untenable situations in a stadium that was borderline unsafe, and in fear of being taken over by MLB and ceasing to exist entirely.  I don't want to say the Athletics "deserve" this ballpark, because the owner is a sleazebag billionaire who deserted Oakland for a few extra bucks, but I'm happy for the players, the organization, and that the city of Las Vegas is getting such a cool new attraction.  As much as I wished the team could have worked something out in Oakland, I'm at least happy that this saga finally seems to be heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.  

I do still have my doubts.  Fisher has not shown credible evidence of where all of his private financing is coming from, other than banks verifying that yes he can afford it.  Tariffs, inflation, supply chain issues, the general state of the economy, and the impending expiration of the collective bargaining agreement all cast doubt on whether or not this project will finish on time.  And even if it does finish on time, will Fisher inevitably beg for more money like the Rays owner did to cover added costs?  Usually when these new stadiums get started, it kind of goes on autopilot and Erik and I start planning our trip there, but it's far from a certainty with this franchise.  It's more certain than it has been in 20 years, but all I can confidently say is that the stadium is being built, and professional baseball will be played in Las Vegas by somebody at some point.  I sincerely hope all of the groundwork being done in the Las Vegas community by the A's is a legitimate show of good faith, and not the rug being pulled over another city's eyes.  I'm super excited to see what a ball trip to Las Vegas will look like for Erik and I in our mid-40s, much more excited than whatever the hell is going on in Tampa Bay right now.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/30/25:

Brewers 47-37, -2.0; 3 @ Mets, 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Nationals

Twins 40-44, -12.5; 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Rays, 3 v. Cubs, 3 v. Pirates
Athletics 34-52, -17.0; 3 @ Rays, 3 v. Giants, 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Blue Jays

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7
Peter - 17

MLB Expansion Talk Heating Up

Rob Manfred has publicly stated that two of his main goals before he reportedly ends his tenure as commissioner in January 2029 are to have the Athletics and Rays both in new much-needed ballparks, and to have the wheels in motion on league expansion (ka-ching).  The Athletics are *knock on wood* breaking ground on their extensively hyped Las Vegas ballpark next month.  They have all the necessary approvals, the design is nearly complete, demolition has occurred, permits are being pulled, and financing is about as much in place as it can be.  I won't believe it until I see it, but things are moving in the right direction on that front.  As for the Rays, I've covered them ad nauseum over the last couple of years, and at this point it seems likely that the team will either need to be sold or moved out of the Tampa Bay region sometime before their lease at Tropicana Field expires in 3 years, otherwise MLB may have no choice but to intervene.  Their ballpark situation may not be clearer anytime soon, but I do expect their franchise to have ownership stability and some sort of game plan before next season (I've been wrong before).  

Manfred has also stated that he does not want to start seriously entertaining expansion until the A's and Rays situations are resolved.  That could still be years from now, but until then, it sure is fun to speculate where two more teams could land.  The uncertainty of the A's and Rays has not deterred a cavalcade of prospective stadium plans, ownership groups, and municipalities from coming out of the woodwork.  Portland OR (rendering above), Salt Lake City (rendering on left), and Orlando (rendering below) have all established groups of investors and secured a variety of private and government financing for hypothetical ballparks just in the past year alone.  Orlando is very intriguing in particular of the three of these because (1) they could essentially capture the current Rays fanbase and market if they purchase the team in lieu of expansion, (2) they have a built-in plethora of temporary home options all over Florida as their stadium gets built, and (3) they seem to have a solid funding plan in place that does not utilize public money.  Nashville has long been considered a front-runner for a new team due to its market size and location, and they started the group Music City Baseball in 2019 to begin the process of searching for capital, land, and trademarking "Nashville Stars" in honor of the former Negro League team of the same name.  Montreal has perhaps been kicking the tires on a new team longer than anyone and would be desperate for another opportunity to showcase Major League Baseball, and one can only hope that would involve at least temporarily fixing up Olympic Stadium.  They are currently the largest North American city without an MLB team.  Sacramento is also in a unique position right now to be in an "audition phase" for a new team as the temporary home for the A's.  It's a very real possibility that either the Vegas ballpark falls through or gets delayed and they retain the A's, or that Vivek Ranadivè empties his pockets and woos Manfred for an expansion team.  Certainly at least one western US team will be a part of this expansion to even out the divisions, and Sacramento would seem to have the media market advantage over Portland or SLC.  Oakland has also been floated as potentially getting another crack at a team someday if they can ever replace the Coliseum, but after losing 3 major sports franchises in the last 5 years and also being in such close proximity to San Francisco, I don't see that ever happening.

It's way too early for me to put formal odds on any of these potential expansion cities, or to even be sure these proposals have a leg to stand on.  There may still even be more serious suitors to come - I have also heard San Antonio, Austin, and Charlotte thrown out there among others.  But in the interim, it's exciting to think about the two new cities Erik and I would get to visit (please God not Orlando), not to mention the likely need to add 8 new minor league teams to service the big league clubs.  That is, unless MiLB gets slashed again during the next CBA, which I wouldn't bet against.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/5/25:

Brewers 17-18, -4.0; 3 v. Astros, 3 @ Rays, 3 @ Guardians, 3 v. Twins
Twins 15-20, -7.0; 3 v. Orioles, 3 v. Giants, 3 @ Orioles, 3 @ Brewers
Athletics 19-16, -2.0; 3 v. Mariners, 3 v. Yankees, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Giants

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 1
Peter - 4

Does Anybody Want the Rays?

(photo credit: CNN)

Happy sort-of Opening Day!  The 2025 MLB season officially kicked off in Tokyo today, and natural order has been restored as the Cubs are already in last place.  This season is particularly exciting because two new ballparks are supposedly breaking ground for the Athletics and Rays.  The A's are always clouded in mystery, but all signs and government approvals are so far pointing to them having shovels in the ground by around the time Erik and I are in Sacramento in June.  However, the Rays are a completely different story.  Remember in August of last year when I reported that their new stadium deal was officially approved?  And remember when I boldly predicted they were "99% likely" to be playing in a new ballpark by January 2029?  Well, a lot has changed in the last 6 months.  Two devastating hurricanes in October, a changing of the guard in the November elections, and a few delayed votes later, coupled with that word "inflation" we'd all like to stop thinking about, and all of a sudden, the Rays find themselves playing out of a minor league stadium for the 2025 season, and potentially homeless soon after that.  The team made known that they have no intention of honoring the terms of the public financing commitment that was formerly approved in December but has stated they are open to continued negotiations.  In other words - they want even more money.

Tropicana Field will supposedly be repaired in time for the 2026 season after being ravaged by Hurricane Milton (see photo above), but even that is not a guarantee and has not been formally approved yet.  It is a situation nobody really wants, but St. Petersburg is contractually obligated to do so, and the Rays don't really have a choice as they need somewhere to play and continuing in minor league parks for additional seasons would be untenable and unprofitable.  With the Rays now backing out of the new stadium deal, both sides are playing hardball and doing a lot of finger pointing, and St. Petersburg will certainly be in no rush to complete repairs if at all, as all it would do is continue extending the Rays lease the longer they wait (currently extended by one year already through the 2028 season).  It's become clear through various reports that there is a lot of lingering bitterness and passive-aggressiveness between the parties to this deal, and that they never seemed to want to work with each other to begin with.  Any path forward with this current ownership group now seems near impossible.  Nobody seems to want the Rays to even exist at all - not even God himself by the looks of the hurricane aftermath photos - and that has been the story of this franchise nearly since its inception.  It is looking more and more by the day that principal owner Stuart Sternberg will have to dupe someone into buying this team, cut his losses, and leave town (and by losses I mean a meager $1.3B and 20 years of profit sharing).  Regardless of how he may feel privately, Manfred is going to continue to say publicly that Tampa is a great baseball market and that the team should stay there regardless of ownership, but there is soon going to come a time where the other 29 owners will have to intervene and put their proverbial foot down.  Perhaps a new ownership group would want to continue to try to make baseball work in the region and deal with the uncertainty of the Trop, but I don't see why any investor who values their time and money would want to do so, particularly when there are plenty of other eager cities and states out there ready to play ball.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now to never trust these new ballpark situations with any degree of certainty, but the pretty renderings distracted me!  I promise that I will not be using the phrase "done deal" to describe the Rays (or A's) ever again, and I will try not to report any more on these situations until there are literal shovels in the ground, or one of the teams has been sold.  But don't trust me on that.

MLB Ballpark Roulette

(rendering of proposed Las Vegas Ballpark courtesy of Oakland A's and MLB.com)

As the sun begins to set on another season, many MLB teams remain in the weeds on where their future homes will be or what they will look like.  Below is a list of teams that I've mentioned on this blog in some capacity over the last few years in terms of seeking a new ballpark, and the likelihood I've assigned to each of them either breaking ground on a new home, majorly renovating their current home, or moving somewhere else, before the expiration of Commissioner Manfred's current contract in January 2029.  I feel like this date is significant and not arbitrary for purposes of this list, because Manfred has repeatedly stated that he wants to see major ballpark "situations" resolved before expansion is considered and before he retires, particularly the Rays and A's.

1.  Tampa Bay Rays - 99%

See my post from last month.  Even if the anticipated groundbreaking of January 2025 gets delayed a bit, I still see this ballpark (or some iteration of it) as a near certainty to break ground next year.  And that's weird to say.

2.  Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas/"Insert City Here" Athletics - 95%

Let's move to the white elephant in the room - the A's.  If the question was about my confidence in their current ballpark plan, or even their move to Vegas in general, I'd have this under 50%.  But I have them at 95% simply because it is a fact that they have just 9 remaining regular season games scheduled at the Coliseum, so they will need to find a home somewhere.  They're currently slated to play in Sacramento from 2025-27 with an option for 2028, and I'm not entirely ruling out that the team will remain there long term in a new MLB-appropriate park.  I even think crawling back to Oakland with their tail between their legs begging to revive their new stadium talks is a possibility.  The government portion of the financing that was earmarked in June 2023 for the Vegas ballpark was contingent on the approval of a set of four agreements - community benefits, development, lease, and non-relocation, and so far only the first of those has been formally approved.  The Las Vegas Stadium Authority seems confident that the remaining agreements will all be approved by the end of this year (Chairman Steve Hill has even cancelled some additional workshop meetings as a signal of progress), but the biggest question mark that has always been out there still remains - how are the Athletics paying for their share?  Shockingly, there have not been any minority investors lining up for a chance to work with infamously shady owner John Fisher.  The team recently announced they would be co-hosting a Tropicana Hotel Implosion Ceremony on October 8th - a quintessential A's smoke-and-mirrors move that does not guarantee a new ballpark will rise from that crater anytime soon.

3.  Kansas City Royals - 75%

The Royals were dealt a huge blow back in the April election, when over 58% of voters rejected a referendum to continue an existing 3/8th-percent tax to help finance a new ballpark in the Crossroads District of downtown Kansas City.  The tax would have also helped finance major renovations to the NFL Chiefs' stadium which is next door to Kauffman Stadium.  Many saw it as a rush to get this on the ballot with no firm stadium plan, but the argument for the rush was likely to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the Royals recently extending Bobby Witt Jr., new ballpark renderings being released, and the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, all of which happened around the same time in early February.  As much as I would have loved to see this approved, kudos to KC voters for not shelling out tax dollars to a billionaire.  I do ultimately think the Royals will get a new stadium, as owner John Sherman seems very motivated to do so, but with their lease not expiring until the end of the 2030 season, as well as generational renovations being completed at Kauffman just 15 years ago, there is some time here.  The newest wrinkle is that the Kansas side of the river is making a huge play to steal the Royals in light of the tax rejection.  Back in June, some new renderings were circulated of what a new stadium could look like in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Kansas, which is just over the border in an industrial part of town.  And just this week, the governor of Kansas signed into law the authorization of STAR Bonds to help fund a hypothetical new stadium there.  The Royals have made it clear they are not involved with these Kansas plans in any way, but I'm sure they will have open ears now.  Rendering above courtesy of MANICA Architecture.

4.  Arizona Diamondbacks - 50%

The D-Backs are in a similar situation to the Rays, in that their original 30-year lease from when the team began in 1998 is nearing its end.  The situation is also very different, however, as the D-Backs had a sparkling new stadium on Day 1 of their franchise, and they have a great location in downtown Phoenix that would be hard to give up.  The team has been pretty quiet on negotiations since the beginning of the year.  There are the same veiled threats that all owners put out when they're looking for money, but I do think eventually the team decides on the renovation route and stays put.  And after visiting this park in November for the World Series, I can tell you that the park sorely needs the upgrades.  Many of the non-glamorous items like the sound system, lighting, HVAC, and roof apparatus are still original to the stadium - in fact, the Diamondbacks can no longer even safely open the roof while fans are inside.  I see the team signing a lease extension and working out the money situation at some point, but it might be a series of short-term leases after 2027 until it gets resolved.  As we've seen with the NHL Coyotes moving to Utah this season, and with all of the investment already occurring for Spring Training facilities, the Phoenix metro area has little appetite for building any more new stadiums.

5.  Chicago White Sox - 25%

See my post from last month.  The team and the city/state are very far apart on the dollars and nothing is urgent about this right now.  The lawmakers are going to want to get the NFL Bears sorted out first before a team that's about to break the modern era record for most losses in a season, and has to compete with the beloved Cubs for attention no less.

6.  Los Angeles Angels - 10%

The wild card of this situation is how long Arte Moreno will go on owning the team.  I can talk about stadium leases all I want as I have with the other teams (theirs ends after 2029), but if Moreno keeps the team, the Angels are just going to go on playing at decrepit Angel Stadium in perpetuity.  He's too cheap and closed-minded to do anything else, and already has one failed attempt at negotiating with Anaheim for a new ballpark 2 years ago, which ended so poorly that he did publicly consider selling the team for awhile.  But don't worry, he netted a huge settlement sum from that corruption ordeal recently.  However, he is 78 years old, so similar to Jerry Reinsdorf in Chicago, if he dies or sells the team, all bets are off.  Surely any new ownership group would make vacating Angel Stadium a priority, but there's just too much money in LA to ever leave that market.  They have a $3B television deal that doesn't expire until 2031, which is also not coincidentally around the time Mike Trout's huge contract ends, so I think that's the date to look at for some movement on this.  The NHL Ducks across the street will also have a $4B development completed by that time that the Angels can stew about and wonder "what if," so the end of the decade will be very interesting in Anaheim.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/5/24:

Brewers 81-59, +9.0, magic number 13; 3 v. Rockies, 3 @ Giants, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 v. Phillies

Twins 75-64, -4.5, -- WC, magic number 18; 3 @ Royals, 3 v. Angels, 3 v. Reds, 4 @ Guardians

Orioles 81-60, +0.5, magic number 12; 3 v. Rays, 3 @ Red Sox, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Giants

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 31

White Sox Enter the Conversation for New Ballpark

(rendering by proposed developer Related Midwest)

With the Rays' new ballpark seemingly close to a lock, and the Royals and A's ballpark situations sputtering, the Chicago White Sox now have their proverbial hand out to the State of Illinois as they enter the stadium sweepstakes.  With the end of their current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field looming after the 2029 season, the White Sox and owner Jerry Reinsdorf are being pro-active by circulating some sexy renderings for a new ballpark that could completely transform Chicago.  The proposed site is known as "The 78," which is a 62-acre vacant plot of land that was formerly home to a railyard for decades, and smack dab in the middle of downtown in the South Loop.  It has been coveted by developers for years, as it represents the largest undeveloped parcel of land in downtown Chicago with worlds of potential and tax revenue.  Billionaire Reinsdorf has "generously" offered to foot "some" of the bill for this project, but is largely hoping for a public subsidy of over $1.2B in the form of a 2% hotel tax.

There are several practical reasons why the White Sox would want a new park, so that in and of itself isn't a surprise.  The current location of Guaranteed Rate Field on the south side is horrible and very polarizing for both fans and visitors.  It's not a great or safe neighborhood, and it is surrounded by nothing but parking lots and the Dan Ryan Expressway.  Maintaining or building a new ballpark in its current location only benefits the residents and homes immediately west and walkable to the park, but is otherwise far from a destination for anyone else.  Moving to a downtown site would afford a surrounding development opportunity that just doesn't exist on the South Side; it's far more lucrative currently for the team to maximize all of the parking lot revenue.  The stadium itself was also completed in 1991 and had the misfortune of opening just before Camden Yards, which completely changed the game and started the retro ballpark craze.  This caused what was then known as Comiskey Park II to become obsolete almost immediately.  It also has some notable major design flaws that would be hard to remedy without a complete gut, such as the ridiculously steep upper bowl, and all of the vertical circulation being on the exterior outside the gates, which means that fans are restricted to only their ticketed level for the entire game.  With the stadium lease being up in 5 1/2 years and Reinsdorf being 88 years old, logistically now is the time to kick this conversation into high gear.

However, practical reasons aside, the timing and manner in which the team is pursuing this could not be any worse.  The Bears are also pursuing public financing for a new stadium at the same time and would surely be the preferred breadwinner if any public money is handed out at all, which is by no means a sure thing.  Guaranteed Rate Field was 100% publicly financed and is only a little more than 30 years old, so the appetite for funding another new park is just not there, especially when $50M in bonding still exists on the current ballpark that would have to somehow be managed.  Chicago might not even want to squander a major opportunity on this huge vacant parcel on another stadium, which have been proven in study after study to be a sinkhole for property taxes and do not spur desirable long-term development or growth.  It's also just not a great look for a billionaire to be asking for a handout in year when his team is vying to surpass the 1962 Mets as the worst in the history of the modern era.  It's a delicate balance to be sure, as these projects cost tons of time and capital, but the city could also be in a situation where the Bears, White Sox, and MLS Fire (who also play at Soldier Field) could all leave town, which Chicago would obviously like to avoid.

However inconceivable it might be for an octogenarian owner to threaten to move a team to another city or state, blackmail almost always works in these situations, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.  After the Rays in 2028, it's far from certain what the next new MLB park will be to open, despite what the respective teams or the media tell you.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/9/24:

Brewers 65-49, +7.0; 3 v. Reds, 4 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Guardians, 3 @ Cardinals

Twins 63-50, -3.5, +0.5 WC; 4 v. Guardians, 3 v. Royals, 4 @ Rangers, 3 @ Padres

Orioles 68-48, --; 3 @ Rays, 2 v. Nationals, 4 v. Red Sox, 3 @ Mets

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 27

Rays New Stadium Deal Finally Official

(rendering courtesy of Tampa Bay Times)

Let the hyperbole and skepticism abound, Tampa Bay Rays fans.  You've been waiting for a new ballpark since pretty much Day 1 of your team's existence, and it appears the wait is almost over.  After decades of failed stadium efforts on multiple sites in multiple cities, and after many cockamamie schemes and threats to move the team, it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays will finally be getting a new home in downtown St. Petersburg.  In the past couple of weeks, the St. Petersburg City Council and the Pinellas County Commission both formally approved their shares of public subsidy for the estimated $1.3B ballpark, which will be one part of an overall $6.5B development of what is known locally as the Gas Plant District.  The ballpark and district will be sited next to and surrounding Tropicana Field, which is the current home of the Rays that will eventually be torn down.  Groundbreaking is expected in January 2025 with an anticipated completion in time for Opening Day 2028.  These dates coincide with the Rays' original 30-year lease on the Trop expiring after the 2027 season.

Some of the metrics of this historic project:

• St. Petersburg is contributing $429.5M to the total project, in the form of tax-exempt bonds that will be repaid through a TIF.  $287.5M of that money goes towards the ballpark, $12M for an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and the remainder towards infrastructure improvements for the overall district.  St. Petersburg is also selling 65 acres of public land to the Rays for this development for $105M.
• Pinellas County is contributing $312.5M to the total project, which will come from an existing hotel bed tax.  Only 40% of that tax is allowed by law to go towards stadium funding, so there will also be some debt incurred by the county to cover the gap.
• The Rays are contributing over $700M towards the ballpark, plus any cost overruns, as well as the development of the remainder of the site through debt, private equity, and outside investors.
• The Rays will have a 30-year lease with two 5-year optional extensions on the new ballpark, including a non-relocation agreement
• Ballpark will be the most intimate in the majors, with only 25,000-30,000 planned fixed seats on primarily 2 levels, and a capacity of around 34,000 for baseball games when factoring in social spaces and standing room areas, as well as a very minimal amount of foul territory.  It will feature a tiered pavilion-style fixed roof and artificial turf.
• Gas Plant District is planned to eventually include 5,400 residential units, 750 hotel rooms, 1.4M square feet of Class A office and medical space, 750K square feet of retail, a separate 4,000-seat concert venue, and 14 acres of green space.  A new African-American Museum will also be built - this site was an historically majority-black area of the city that was infamously displaced by the Trop in the 1980s.  It is unclear how much if any of the surrounding development will be built by the time the ballpark opens - hopefully it is closer to the Atlanta situation than DC.

Aside from the cash grab by a billionaire owner which I've repeated ad nauseum, the two most interesting parts of this ballpark to me are the roof and the site.  I cringed when I saw the renderings that depict the all-too-familiar low slung roof on trusses suspended over the field, as I immediately thought of all the troubles that Tropicana Field is notorious for with batted ball interference.  Many covered stadiums have successfully worked through this issue with extensive studies, but the roof just looks so short in the renderings that I really hope that some people smarter than me are not wasting all this effort just to recreate the same problem.  I also find it interesting that after years of trying to get out of downtown St. Petersburg because of the well-documented issues the site has with access from across the bay, that the Rays are just going all-in on building on the exact same site they are now.  It just goes to show that money cures all ills, and teams will follow anyone who is willing to cough it up.

It feels like I've been following the new Rays stadium process since this blog started over 17 years go, so in a way the end to this saga feels kind of anti-climatic.  I also am not entirely going to believe this is happening until I see pictures of shovels in the ground, but it sure seems to have a more solid foundation that the A's dumpster fire situation.  2028 has the potential to be just the beginning of a very exciting era of new major league ballparks, and Erik and I are ready for it.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/1/24:

Brewers 61-47, +5.0; 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves

Twins 59-48, -6.0, -- WC; 3 v. White Sox, 3 @ Cubs

Orioles 65-44, +0.5; 4 @ Guardians, 3 @ Blue Jays

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 27

Goodbye Oakland, Hello Sacramento

(unofficial probably not real but maybe logo courtesy of Reddit)

We're already at the calendar midpoint of the season, and this is amazingly the first week I don't have a ballpark visit or baseball travel to report on.  So instead, I thought I'd write about a different sort of travel, and an all-too-familiar topic - the never-ending relocation saga of the A's.  Way back in early April, the Athletics officially answered the question of where they would be playing for the next 3+ years while their new stadium in Las Vegas is supposedly getting built, by announcing a move to their temporary home 90 miles up I-80 to Sacramento.  They will be taking up residency in Sutter Health Park, a minor league park that will be shared with the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League, who are ironically a Giants affiliate but were formerly an A's affiliate for many years.  The stadium opened in 2000 and seats about 14,000 people.  The A's will play there through at least 2027 with an option for the 2028 season if (and when) the Vegas park has a delayed opening.  During that time, they've chosen to essentially be homeless, by having no mention of Sacramento anywhere on their uniforms or team logos, which is both horrible and completely on brand for the Athletics franchise.

In many ways, this move is completely an A's move - sticking it to Oakland seemingly out of spite, and somehow making a bad situation even worse for its players and staff.  But in many other ways, it's shocking and seems like a logistical nightmare that could have been avoided.  One of the few good things that came out of the hostile takeover of the minor leagues by MLB in 2021 was that it geographically aligned the leagues more sensibly and reduced travel by creating 6-game series with almost every Monday off.  That might be great for the River Cats, but that will make scheduling very challenging when trying to fold in the A's.  There may now be scenarios where one or both teams could have road trips spanning multiple weeks.  Another obvious deficiency is the capacity of the park and just the general facilities being less than or smaller than MLB standards.  One could argue that the park still has a capacity twice the size of a normal Athletics crowd in Oakland, and that I'm sure the team will be forced to pour in millions to upgrade the facility, but none of that replaces the stigma that these major league players now feel like they are playing in the minor leagues.  I'm sure A's players already feel embarrassed by their current playing situation, and the move to Sacramento is lateral at best.  The Blue Jays made this work admirably in Buffalo in 2020-21, but that was during the pandemic due to Canadian COVID restrictions, so it was a completely different situation.  There's also just the strain this must put on the players/employees and their families knowing this will be a temporary situation.  They'll have to find houses and schools knowing they won't be there for more than 3 or 4 years.  And what free agent would ever want to sign there?  This is going to tank the payroll and big league roster even more, and will be an awful product to watch for those dozens of Sacramento fans who are excited for a taste of the big leagues.  On the money side, I'd be curious to know what the revenue hit will be for that poor billionaire John Fisher.  Many thought the A's would work out a lease extension in Oakland merely to keep their lucrative TV contract and stay in the larger market for awhile, so there must be some sort of financial incentive for this move that we're not aware of.  As we've seen play out in the last quarter-century, money is at the heart of every single A's front office decision.

Let's get down to what I really care about - how does this affect me?  Erik and I will now likely be obligated to make Tour 2025 a trip centered around Sacramento.  It means that at the end of the 2024 season, I'll be back down to 29 current MLB ballparks attended, which is always a sad moment for me.  And lastly, I've lost my last chance to sit in the outfield of a football stadium for $5 in a cold August mist.  Ok, so maybe that last one I won't miss at all, but I do hope the "Fuckin' A's" van makes its way up to Sacramento (see photo on left from The Tour).

UPDATE: Erik and I are heading to Seattle bright and early tomorrow for Tour 2024!  Come back next week to read all about it!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/27/24:

Brewers 48-33, +6.0; 3 v. Cubs, 4 @ Rockies

Twins 44-36, -8.0; 3 @ Mariners, 3 v. Tigers

Orioles 50-30, -1.0; 4 v. Rangers, 3 @ Mariners

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 3

Peter - 15

State of Wisconsin Approves Brewers Stadium Repair Bill

After nearly a year of political posturing (I first wrote about this last March), draft revisions, and lobbying, Governor Tony Evers signed into law a bill that provides the Brewers with half a billion dollars in government funding to perform much needed repairs on American Family Field.  Just about every major mechanical and electrical apparatus in AmFam Field is either obsolete or nearing the end of its functional life, so while this law is certainly not financing anything sexy that the public will notice, the maintenance is long overdue.  What started out as Evers just saying "hey, we have an enormous budget surplus, let's just give the Brewers a small portion of that," turned into a huge mess with people from every side walking in with their hands out and offering their own pork to throw into the bill.  The final details of the approved bill are as follows:

• $365.8M in state funds, which would primarily be financed by both visiting and Brewers player income taxes
• $135M combined from Milwaukee and Milwaukee County.  It's worth noting that both the city and the county were finally allowed to raise their own sales taxes on January 1st to save themselves from financial ruin, and now are required to immediately give some of that new money to the Brewers.
• $110M from the Brewers
• $2 ticket surcharge and $8 suite surcharge added to non-baseball events at American Family Field, which incrementally increase to $4 and $10 respectively, to help defray the cost of the state contribution.  This surcharge is estimated to provide about $20.7M over the course of their lease.  Once the state's funding has been completed, the surcharge would still continue in perpetuity, and its proceeds would transfer to the state's general fund rather than the ballpark district's fund.
• In exchange for the funding, the Brewers agreed to extend their lease to 2050, during which time the government funds would be made to the team in annual payments
• The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District - the independent body that oversees financing and management of the ballpark - would expand to 13 members - 4 appointed by governor, 3 by senate, 3 by assembly, 2 by Milwaukee city/county, and 1 by the Brewers.
• The Brewers current lease vaguely requires that the ballpark district pay for capital improvements to American Family Field that keep it within the top 25% of Major League Baseball parks.  That provision remains in the new lease.
• The bill includes $25M rolled into the state financing portion to perform a study on what it would take to winterize the ballpark for off-season events.  Anyone who has been to American Family Field in the winter knows that the ballpark is not currently insulated, nor is it tempered in any way when there is no game or event.
• Any cost overruns from initial estimates, and any sort of non-repair or non-maintenance related ballpark upgrade (like the new $6.5M scoreboard), would fall to the Brewers/district

The most interesting thing about this whole process to me is that both the ballpark district and the state allowed the 0.1% 5-county sales tax to sunset in 2020 because the mortgage was paid off on the original construction, knowing full well that the district was legally obligated to finance any future repairs to the stadium.  Now here we are 3 years later, and what a surprise the district is out of money because a tax that generated over $600M in 24 years is now gone.  It seems to me that keeping that miniscule tax in place - one that was contentious 30 years ago but now is mostly forgotten - would have not solved this problem necessarily, but made it gravely less complicated and burdensome to taxpayers.

I won't rehash what I've already written and spoken about ad nauseum regarding subsidizing professional sports facilities.  One person can argue that billionaires don't need handouts and the Brewers are just blackmailing the state, and another person could argue that keeping $2.5B in economic output, 3,000 jobs, and $630M in player income taxes in the state is a good thing no matter the cost, and both of those people would be right.  There's no great answer that pleases everyone and this is a topic that equally divides both Democrats and Republicans.  But I would be lying if I said I'm not glad that the thing I care most about in this world outside of my family and friends will have a wonderful place to call home until I am at least well into my 60s - in Milwaukee where they should be.

David Stearns and Craig Counsell Skip Town

I wrote last November about David Stearns stepping down from his position as the President of Baseball Operations of the Brewers.  The speculation at that time was that he would quietly wait out the remaining year of his contract in 2023 and then sign with the Mets in 2024 since he is from New York, and that proved to be exactly what happened.  On literally the first day of the offseason, the Mets held a press conference for his signing.  One of Stearns' first orders of business was to fire manager Buck Showalter, who was only one season removed from a 100-win season but led the Mets to a very disappointing 2023.  This all led to further speculation that Stearns and Brewers manager Craig Counsell would be reunited in New York, as Craigers' contract expired after the end of this season.  However, no matter who is at the helm, history has repeatedly shown that "the Mets are gonna Met."  They instead went the route of hiring a manager with zero experience for practically nothing to lead the largest payroll in North American sports.  The Cubs immediately swooped in and signed Counsell - despite already having a manager - to a 5 year, $40 million contract, which now makes him the highest paid manager in baseball.

Now that I've had some time to reflect on both of these signings, I can't objectively say I'm super surprised nor do I blame either of them.  Am I disappointed?  Of course.  But in both Stearns and Counsell's cases, both of them had reached kind of the pinnacle of what they were going to achieve in Milwaukee.  That's just the sad and honest reality of being in the smallest market in baseball.  To both be in cities with seemingly endless resources, coupled with their talent, is going to give them the best chance to consistently win and most importantly to win the World Series.  For a team like the Brewers to not only remain competitive for such a long period of time - pretty much the entirety of the Stearns/Counsell era - but also to make the playoffs in 5 of the past 6 years is nothing short of remarkable, and a lot of that credit is owed to those two men.  I had heard a stat on a podcast shortly before Counsell signed with the Cubs in which they were trying to quantify a WAR-type number for what Counsell as a manager contributes to a team in terms of wins, and the number he came up with was 6 WAR.  I'm not going to pretend that I understand how WAR is calculated, but accounting for 6 wins by yourself is the difference between making and not making the playoffs just about every year.  Stearns is going to be able to help Steve Cohen spend money responsibly and efficiently given his background, and Counsell is going to be able to steer the ship for the Cubs and masterfully manage their bullpen.  I think I was a little bit more surprised with the Counsell signing than Stearns, only because I thought he would either step aside or remain with the Brewers given his family situation, but looking back at it objectively now, the Cubs make a ton of sense.  It's 90 minutes away, he knows the division, they have a huge payroll, and Chicago is actually closer to some of his kids in college than Milwaukee is.  He's able to have kind of the best of both worlds in being close with his family, while also setting the market for what managers deserve to make and proving he can win on the big stage.  Counsell is now the highest paid manager since Joe Torre in his years with the Yankees, and in today's age of $300, 400, 500 million contracts, that is kind of astounding.

I wish anyone reading a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!  Pitchers & Catchers report in 72 days, and I expect I'll have an announcement on my/our 2024 trips around that time.