With the Texas Rangers getting ready to play their final series at Globe Life Park and move into Globe Life Field in 2020, it's hard not to speculate on who could be next to build a new stadium. Oakland and Tampa are the obvious choices, but there are actually more teams than you might think that could be more viable options to move sooner.
Assuming that the A's and Rays are both tied up in political battles for the foreseeable future, if I was a betting man I would say the Angels are the first to break ground. They have until the end of this year to decide if they want to opt out of their current lease (which would likely signal a move), negotiate a new deal with Anaheim (which would likely involve either a major renovation or a new ballpark on the same site), or just continue status quo with their current lease through the 2028 season. The last option seems unlikely seeing as the Angels have already extended their opt-out deadline by a year, and if they were to opt out, Long Beach has been the biggest suitor. Given their relationship with the city and the amount of land they already have available on the site, I would guess that they will stay on the same site. Whether that is another major renovation or a new ballpark, I can't say. However, it is worth noting that Angel Stadium is over 50 years old and now the 4th oldest ballpark in the league, and it has not aged as well as say Dodger Stadium or Fenway Park - one of my lasting memories from the O.G. Tour was that some of the concessions stands were shut down due to a rat infestation on our visit there. The Angels ownership certainly has the money and clout to build a new ballpark wherever they want if they so choose.
The Diamondbacks are another major contender and have pretty much the same options as the Angels. They currently lease their ballpark from the county and have had a contentious relationship with them regarding building maintenance over the years, which included a lawsuit in 2017. As a result of that lawsuit, their lease now has a clause which allows the D-Backs to move to a different location within Maricopa County as early as 2022, or somewhere outside of Arizona for a penalty. In fact, there are already municipalities trying to steal the D-Backs, as evidenced by this leaked proposal from Henderson, Nevada last month. By 2022, I would expect the Diamondbacks to have a deal to take over Chase Field and somehow fund a major renovation. Their downtown location in a booming city with a ballpark barely over 20 years old seems to be incentive enough to stay, but that's just my own speculation.
Another interesting candidate that has recently emerged is the Kansas City Royals. Despite a gorgeous quarter-billion dollar renovation (which I visited in 2013), the team was recently sold to a businessman with strong ties to downtown Kansas City, who has made it no secret in the past of his desire for the Royals to be downtown. It is certainly more the norm for ballparks to be downtown these days, but the overwhelming success of the Braves' new suburban park could be a template for the Royals to continue investing in their current site.
Erik and I are eager to start planning our Rangers trip next year, but beyond 2020, I think we can safely say we'll be well into our 40s whenever the next new MLB park opens up. But, as always, we will be on whichever team's website the minute those new ballpark tickets go on sale.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/9/19:
Brewers 74-68, -6.5, -2.0 WC; 4 @ Marlins, 3 @ Cardinals, 4 v. Padres, 3 v. Pirates
Twins 88-55, +5.5; 3 v. Nationals, 3 @ Indians, 3 v. White Sox, 4 v. Royals
2019 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 8
Peter - 22
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment