With a Palm Beach Gardens location for a new Houston Astros/Toronto Blue Jays spring-training complex off the table, the search is on for a new site within Palm Beach County. The issues: questions about the appropriateness of a regional park as the future home of the complex (which would be near two schools and require […]
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Brewers explore spring-training move to Tampa Bay area
The Milwaukee Brewers are thinking about opting out of the team’s Maryvale Baseball Park lease in Phoenix and moving spring-training operations to the Tampa Bay area. The team has the ability to opt out of its Maryvale baseball lease after the 2015 season and beyond. With the Toronto Blue Jays on the way out around […]
Fisher Cats, Blue Jays extend PDC through 2016
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) and the Toronto Blue Jays announced a new two-year extension of their player development contact (PDC), through 2016. “This is always an easy and enjoyable process when we extend our relationship with the Blue Jays,” said Fisher Cats owner Art Solomon. “Toronto is a first-class organization […]
Crane: We could have relocated PCL team here by 2016
Astros owner Jim Crane says Triple-A ball could be in the Houston area by 2016, and announced that planning a new spring-training home to be shared with the Toronto Blue Jays is in the final stages. The Astros have been working with an area developer on a plan that would include a new Triple-A ballpark; […]
Ottawa: We’ll take indy Can-Am over affiliated ball
Ottawa has decided to go with the independent Can-Am League as a tenant for Ottawa Stadium instead of a Double-A team owned by Mandalay Baseball Properties, as a $40-million price tag was deemed to be too much. A report from the city examined RFPs from Mandalay and the Can-Am League. The city had already committed […]
The Week That Was: Sept. 7-14, 2013
Attendance tallies, the temporary return of MLB to Montreal, Target Field improvements and new-ballpark news. The top stories of the week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. On a related note: Ballpark Digest set a record for daily page views this past week, totaing 51,692 on Sept. 12. Thanks to each and every […]
Reports: Blue Jays will play games in Montreal in 2014
Reports have confirmed what we reported in April: The Toronto Blue Jays will play a pair of exhibition games against the Mets at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium before the regular season starts in 2014. Many MLB teams schedule a pair of exhibition games after spring training and before the regular season, and a two-game series of […]
Osceola County delays vote on new Nats spring facility
A final decision on a new Washington Nationals spring-training facility in Kissimmee has been delayed a month by Osceola County commissioners, as local business groups ask for time to review the agreement. The new facility would cost $98 million ($88 million from tourism taxes, $10 million from the state) and be located south of the […]
Crane: Astros close to finalizing Palm Beach training site
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane says the team is close to finalizing a deal with Palm Beach Gardens for a new spring-training facility that could open in 2017. The new complex, to be shared with the Toronto Blue Jays (though, we hear, the agreement is not final), would be located within a close drive of […]
Tourism Board approves new Nats spring ballpark
The Osceola County Tourism Board has signed off on a $98-million plan for a new Washington Nationals spring-training facility in Kissimmee, but the proposal is sure to face close scrutiny from the full county Board of Commissioners. The board has a budget: $88 million from the tourism board ($50 million on hand, $38 million to […]
New spring complex pitched for Osceola County
Two new teams could be training in the greater Orlando area by 2015, as Osceola County officials receive a pitch for a new $98-million spring-training complex. It’s no secret the Washington Nationals have been working with HKS on plans for a new complex; it’s also no secret the Nats want to be out of Viera’s […]
Florida spring-training spending could extend to Lakeland
With seven cities now eligible to apply for spring-training grants from the state, Lakeland has more inventive to move forward with a renovation of Tiger Town and Joker Marchant Stadium. Lakeland had already announced a $50-million makeover in conjunction with the Detroit Tigers, addressing both the seating bowl and berm at Joker Marchant Stadium as […]
Pinellas County: We want to keep Blue Jays for spring training
If the Toronto Blue Jays are to keep training in the Tampa Bay area, it will take a strong effort by Pinellas County to provide upgraded facilities — and a few potential plans are emerging, even if the Jays don’t bite. The Toronto Blue Jays front office has been openly seeking a new spring-training home […]