The Diamondbacks are dissatisfied with the Chase Field deal, saying, “We may run out of time in Phoenix.”
In spite of the team’s wish to stay in Arizona, Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick expressed disappointment over his organization’s failure to obtain public funding for Chase Field renovations. If an agreement cannot be reached, he hinted that the team may eventually look to relocate.
The club’s president and CEO, Kendrick Hall, spoke to reporters on Monday prior to the team’s first full-squad workout of spring training. They bemoaned the fact that other major league teams across the nation, as well as other local professional sports teams like the Phoenix Suns, have been able to come to agreements with municipalities to renovate their facilities, while the Diamondbacks have time and time again failed to do the same.
“In Phoenix, we might be out of time,” Kendrick remarked. “We’re hoping that doesn’t occur.”
In a team meeting held prior to the Diamondbacks’ workout on Monday morning, Kendrick and Hall both addressed the team, restating a message that manager Torey Lovullo had previously given regarding the team from the previous season “setting a standard” moving forward. He stated that he thinks the team has moved from believing it can win to hoping for it.
“It occurred to me that we were hoping to play baseball in October last year,” Kendrick remarked. “I believe we expect to play October baseball this year, and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t.”
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Kendrick reaffirmed that his ownership group is prepared to invest “hundreds of millions” of its own funds in the renovation of Chase Field, an undertaking that the team projects will cost between $400 and $500 million.
In the National League, Chase Field is the fourth-oldest ballpark, having opened in 1998. Compared to Chase Field, the three older venues—Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, and Coors Field—have all seen more renovations.
According to Kendrick, the ownership group of the club has made more investments in Chase Field over the years than the $238 million in public funds that contributed to the building’s construction in the middle of the 1990s. The team’s lease is still in effect, expiring in 2027.
Reiterating that the Diamondbacks were not currently in talks with other markets about leaving town, Kendrick claimed he was not attempting to pose a threat to the state.
“Our sport will probably eventually be expanded to a few more cities,” Kendrick predicted. “Cities are communicating to MLB their specific interest in acquiring a team. They would be content with a brand-new franchise, but they would also be extremely content with, let’s face it, a profitable current franchise. “That’s not where we are spending time or energy,” the person said. In Phoenix, we might run out of time. We hope that will not occur. We’re working hard at it and keeping our meetings going. We’ve increased our
Kendrick added: “I don’t think, in the world that we live in, threats are the right way to do business. We’re community people. I’ve raised my family here; Derrick has raised his family here. We’re a part of the fabric. Our franchise is part of the fabric of Arizona, and that’s where we want it to be for forever. When I’m long gone, which isn’t going to be very long into the future from now, I would like to have — we call it ‘Chase Field reimagined.’ That is our hope at the moment, that we will have that and be able to announce that, and we’re still aggressively interested in making that happen.”
