Royals to reveal plans for proposed new park

The Royals are set to reveal plans for a new stadium in Kansas City’s Crossroads District on Tuesday, according to reports from Anne Rogers of MLB.com and Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. 

The club is holding a press conference at 2:30 p.m. local time. “Important details about this transformative project will be shared including renderings, economic data, and progress towards lease and community benefits agreement,” the team said (via Rogers).

McDowell writes that the targeted site is in the approximate area of the former Kansas City Star Press Pavilion. The team has not yet revealed its specific financing plan, but they’re seeking some amount of public funding via a 40-year sales tax that’ll be up for a vote in early April. 

That tax plan would split the money between the Royals for their intended new facility and the NFL’s Chiefs for renovations to their Arrowhead Stadium.

The Royals’ current home, Kauffman Stadium, was opened in 1973. It’s the sixth-oldest park in the MLB. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field have been open for more than a century. Dodger Stadium (1962), Angel Stadium (1966) and the Oakland Coliseum (1968) each began playing host to big league clubs in the general vicinity of Kauffman’s opening. 

The A’s are very likely to depart the Coliseum after the upcoming season. If the Royals secure a new ballpark, that’d put Toronto’s Rogers Centre — which opened in 1989 — among the sport’s five oldest home stadiums.

Last summer, owner John Sherman told reporters that the team was hopeful of having a new park ready for the 2027 or 2028 seasons (link via The Associated Press). Sherman purchased the franchise from the late David Glass in August 2019.

The club has yet to find any on-field success during his ownership tenure, which began amid a rebuild on the heels of their consecutive pennants and 2015 World Series win. 

Last season’s 106 losses tied a franchise record. The Royals have had an active offseason as they try to turn things around fairly quickly. 

They’ve brought in Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Hunter Renfroe, Will Smith, Chris Stratton and Adam Frazier in free agency. 

They saved their biggest move for last week, inking franchise shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a team-record guarantee of over $288M to ensure he remains in K.C. through at least 2030.