Tucson's two spring-training baseball teams have been promising to leave town. On Thursday, they announced where they're moving: the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
City and county officials acknowledge the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies could face penalties if they break their contracts.
The teams will move to the new site for the 2011 spring-training season, the community announced Thursday. The teams and the Salt River Council signed a 25-year agreement. No details of the deal were disclosed.
Salt River will fund, build and operate the new facility. It will be the first major-league spring-training ballpark on Indian land, according to the Salt River Community.
The facility will be near Scottsdale city limits and Indian Bend Road and the 101 Freeway. It will include an 11,000-seat ballpark and 12 practice fields, and will be designed by HKS Architects. No party disclosed the facility's cost, but HKS Architects also designed $100 million Camelback Ranch for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox in Glendale.
Tucson and Pima County officials say they will hold the teams to their contracts, which expire in 2011 for the Rockies and 2012 for the Diamondbacks.
Tucson City Attorney Mike Rankin said if the Rockies leave before the end of 2011, it is a default of agreement and the organization will face penalties.
"If it's determined to be a breach of contract, there are penalties like any other contract," Rankin said. "Hopefully, we don't go down that path and end up in litigation with the Rockies. It's a little too early to speculate on what the penalties will be.
"If they make an offer to essentially buy out a year of their contract, then we would have to take that offer to the mayor and council and see if they're agreeable to it."
The two teams began to explore leaving Tucson after the Chicago White Sox moved to Glendale after the 2008 season. The Sox and the Diamondbacks trained together at Tucson Electric Park. The Sox paid $5 million to buy out their lease with the county.
The D-backs' agreement with Pima County expires in 2012 and states the team can terminate it without penalty â upon one-year prior notice to the county â if there are fewer than two teams training here.
A letter from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry to Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall in June states if the team tries to leave while at least two teams train in Tucson, and before the agreement's expiration, the county will take the team to court to get an injunction to prevent it from leaving.
"There hasn't been any discussion at this point (about a buyout)," Huckelberry said. "We would prefer to have them remain. They only have two years remaining on their term."
Both teams declined additional comment Thursday.
Rankin said that the Rockies' departure will cost Tucson more than lost rent.
"Like any contract, if a party breaches a contract, there are penalties that can include damages for any lost profits we might have," Rankin said. "There are provisions in the contract itself that would require (the Rockies) to pay any outstanding debt the city still has for the improvements we made to the facility. We'll have to put those numbers together so we can notify the Rockies what our potential damages are."
Both teams notified the county and city in May that they planned to leave after 2010, stating that having two teams in Tucson diminishes the level of competition.
Maricopa County will be the site for 13 of the 15 teams in the Cactus League next year. Teams cite the benefit of less travel and competitive advantages of being near each other in the Phoenix area.
"We're excited to partner with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Arizona Diamondbacks," Rockies President Keli McGregor said.
The Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority continues to pursue bringing the Baltimore Orioles and Japanese teams to Tucson, Executive Director Dan Schneider said.
On Monday, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill that allows Pima County residents to vote on taxing car rentals, hotels, restaurants, bars and retail. If passed, the taxes would generate an estimated $15 million a year for stadium construction, improvements, and youth and amateur sports here.
Did you know
Spring training has been in Tucson for 62 years. The Cleveland Indians trained here from 1947-92; the Chicago White Sox, 1998-2008; Colorado Rockies, 1993-present and the Arizona Diamondbacks, 1998-present.
