Diamondbacks seek permission to look for new stadium
The Arizona Diamondbacks want out of Chase Field. The team has submitted paperwork to the Maricopa County Board asking that their current lease be modified so the club can play games “in a location other than Chase Field,” according to 12 News Arizona.
The team confirmed the news shortly after the story broke. Team CEO Derrick Hall released a statement saying the team is committed to staying in the area, but stressed that the park needs to be renovated.
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The news comes as a surprise for a number of reasons. Chase Field opened in 1998, prior to the D-backs first game, and is currently just 18 years. On top of that, the club had to ask for permission to modify the lease because the current contract won’t allow them to negotiate for a new stadium until 2024. The contract expires in 2028.
Getting that permission might be difficult. County Board Chairman Clint Hickman denied the team’s initial request, saying he didn’t want taxpayers spending millions of dollars on an empty stadium.
The lease put limits on the Diamondbacks, Hickman wrote, “to ensure that the taxpayers, who had paid $238 million in sales taxes to build the stadium (in addition to the District’s undertaking an additional $15 million contribution for construction costs), would not be left with an empty stadium” before the 30-year lease expired.
According to the report, Hall has met with Gov. Doug Ducey and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton recently to discuss his concerns about Chase Field. The club has considered renovations that would decrease the size of the stadium. Those changes would cost between $100 million and $200 million. Other than the size of the stadium, the report did not go into specifics on what other issues Hall has with the park.
Unless there are massive issues with the stadium that the public is currently not aware of, there’s no reason for Hickman to change his stance on the issue. The lease is legally binding and, like Hickman says, the taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for an empty park.
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It’s never a good thing when a sports team mentions moving, even if the club only wants to move a few minutes away. Unless there’s a major problem with Chase Field, this is going to reflect poorly on the Diamondbacks.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
