At a meeting on Thursday, Madison, AL officials said that they are closer to completing a licensing agreement with the owners of the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League). That is a key step as the two sides continue to discuss a proposed new ballpark.
In November, BallCorps, LLC finalized its purchase of the BayBears. The group has been considering relocating the team to Madison, where a new ballpark would be constructed at the Town Madison development. Having already signaled their interest in a new multi-use facility for an affiliated minor league team, Madison officials continue to consider their options for landing the BayBears.
At Thursday’s city council meeting, it was learned that a license agreement between the city and BallCorps could be ready for review at the end of this month. While the two sides would still have plenty of work to do to make the new ballpark a reality, Madison mayor Paul Finley noted that the license agreement helps to move the process forward. More from WHNT:
Finley says a licensing agreement would help the city formulate a specific plan to relocate the team to Madison.
“How would we fund this venue? How would we make sure we are supporting them and in turn, helping us?” explained Finley.
The licensing agreement is separate from the official proposal to relocate the team. Both agreements would require Minor, Major, and Southern League approval.
“As we continue to go down the path, with multiple discussions in multiple ways, we’re getting closer and closer to a decision in the next couple months,” says Finley.
To this point, the club has received permission to explore the market, but permission to relocate has not been granted and would have to come as part of a later process. Madison is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, which has not had professional baseball team of its own since the Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) played their final full season at Joe W. Davis Stadium in 2014.
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