Not since the early 2000s has Major League Baseball seen efforts to renovate or build new ballparks, costing the public and clubs billions of dollars. The effects will shape attendance and set the stage for the league’s expansion to add two additional facilities.
Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig is remembered for many things: The addition of interleague and the Wild Card. It’s in place when the longest strikeout gets the World Series. Attempts to contract the league from 30 clubs to 28. However, perhaps the one that is least talked about is what I call the “Selig recovery project” – a period of more than a decade in which the explosion of new ballparks opened up the formation of the league. and fan experience while setting a highwater mark for attendance in league history. From 2000 to 2010 alone, 11 new ballparks were opened. Billions of public dollars are being invested in ways to change local, regional, and state policies on how much should be invested.
While other ballparks have sprung up recently — Globe Life Field for the Rangers in 2020 and Truist Park in 2017 — a flurry of new or renovated ballparks has largely disappeared since Rob Manfred’s tenure as commissioner. That is about to change.
In the coming months, seven Major League Baseball clubs will be either in the funding efforts or finalizing the pieces to get the shovels in the ground., and that’s not counting. the Los Angeles Angels withdrew after the controversy. Two of the clubs involved, the A’s and Rays, have been working for more than 20 years on new ballparks and are seen as lynchpins for a possible expansion to 32 teams in the league.
Oakland A’s – New Ballpark
“Oakland” now seems to be a temporary placeholder because the club is applying to move to Las Vegas. After 57 years in what can only be described as a dilapidated Coliseum – and more than 20 years of trying to get a ballpark on the market, the club took a bird in the hand. The club’s move is the first since the Montreal Expos jumped borders to head to Washington, DC in 2004 and it’s the first time a club has moved from a major to a minor market since the Senator moved to Texas in 1972 to become the Rangers. The current projected cost to the public is $380 million for a 30,000-seat ballpark on the Strip. The club is targeting 2028 to open the new facility.
Tampa Bay Rays – New Ballpark
The Rays have been looking for a new ballpark for almost as long as the A’s with the latest news being the best hope to make it in club history. The 33-year-old Tropicana Field lease expires in 2027 and with it, plans are to redevelop the surrounding site for a new fixed-roof ballpark and ancillary development on 86 acres. The target for the new ballpark to open is 2028. The public cost hovers around $600 million for the $1.3 billion ballpark project. Like the A’s, the ballpark’s capacity is expected to be around 30,000.
Milwaukee Brewers – Recovery
When Miller Park was originally funded and built, it had a lot of controversy, and it is possible that history will be remembered as the club seeks to renovate the current American Family Field for the Milwaukee Brewers. At first, public funds for repairs and renovations are reported to be $448 million. Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin announced a bill on Monday which will allocate more than $614 million in public funds to repair and renovate the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium. The current lease expires in 2030 at the 22-year-old ballpark. As has been the case in the past, especially with the A’s doing well, threats of relocation have surfaced, though the league has denied that it was raised because of what the A’s did. However, threats of relocation are part and parcel. in any public funding effort. After all, the Yankees used to threaten to move to New Jersey, if you can believe that.
Kansas City Royals – New Ballpark
The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since 1973 and the ballpark was renovated 14 years ago, in 2009. Still, the club overlooks downtown for a new ballpark and an entertainment district on a 27 or 90-acre site. The total cost will be more than $2 billion with the Royals putting up $1 billion. That would put the public contribution at $1 billion or higher. The Kauffman Stadium lease runs through 2031 but is looking to break ground on the new ballpark in 2028.
Baltimore Orioles – Upgrade
The explosion of new ballpark development during Selig’s tenure really began with the Baltimore Orioles and Orioles Park At Camden Yards (OPACY). Opened in 1993, the facility began as a baseball-only ballpark with a retro design that harkened back to the 1940s. It still may be the gold standard in ballparks. But like almost every club on this list, the Orioles are looking to the success of the Battery development around Truist Park for the Braves. Although these improvements do not provide much new net income, they allow the club to enjoy the fruits of fans attending baseball games without the income of baseball books. With these separates, the real estate investment runs its own course and is not counted against the income distribution. The Orioles know this and looking for their own upgrades to the classic ballpark as well as a village village. The Orioles are seeking $600 million in effort, and have thwarted Baltimore politicians by not signing a lease extension. The current lease expires on December 31 of this year. The Maryland legislature passed a bill in 2022 that would see $600 million go to the Orioles for ballpark improvements. That, apparently, was unacceptable to owner John Angelos who was looking for more for ancillary development. A report shows the control of parking lots around OPCY and an additional $300 million.
Chicago White Sox – New Ballpark
If OPACY is the catalyst for the new ballpark’s development, it certainly won’t be the first new baseball-only ballpark built under the Selig tenure. That distinction goes to the Chicago White Sox who opened the then brand new Comiskey Park in April of 1991, or as it is now called, Guaranteed Rates Field. Now, owner Jerry Reinsdorf is looking for a new ballpark when the current lease with the Illinois Sports Facility Authority expires in 2029. No discussions have taken place. No one knew how much the White Sox expected or what else they were looking for. They said vaguely that they might move to the Chicago area. as Reinsdorf did before the new Comisky was builtthey have Nashville is quietly used as leverage to accomplish all this.
Arizona Diamondbacks – New Or Repair
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been locked in talks about maintaining Chase Field, renovating it, or building a new ballpark under construction for nearly a decade. With the facility’s lease expiring in 2027, the Diamondbacks continue to work on something more than nothing. Commissioner Rob Manfred weighed in this summer saying, “When you’re about to end a lease, you get yourself in a situation where what I consider public assets — right, a stadium is a public asset — has to be update.” Also, like The White Sox the cost is still TBD, although the public estimate is in the “hundreds of millions.” And again, like the others on this list, an entertainment district is sought after. “It’s not just about the ballpark,” said team CEO Derrick Hall. “It’s about having retail and hotel and office. We want to see what opportunities are here or elsewhere so we can activate 365 days a year.”