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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — MLB commissioner Rob Manfred threw his support behind a new stadium for the Royals on Wednesday, calling both of their potential sites near downtown Kansas City “unbelievably high quality” for the type of revenue-producing, multi-use districts that are necessary for small-market clubs to compete.

Manfred spoke for an hour at the Urban Youth Academy, which is designed to encourage inner-city youth in baseball, alongside Royals chairman John Sherman and Bob Kendrick, the president of the nearby Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

The Royals plan to announce in September whether they will build a replacement for Kauffman Stadium in the East Village, an area near the T-Mobile Center and the existing Power & Light District, or across the Missouri River in Clay County, where there is more land available for a potentially larger baseball village.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for this community — forget the Royals,” Manfred said. “Either of these sites are outstanding sites for a new ballpark. Either present the opportunity for entertainment district development around the ballpark.

“I think in our economic system, new facilities provide a ballclub with an opportunity for revenue generation that simply doesn’t exist in older footprints. At some point — great ballpark here, but having said that, it is an older ballpark that does not have the kind of premier revenue-generating opportunities that you get in a new facility for a market this size.”

The Royals have said the new ballpark project will cost about $2 billion. Most will be privately funded, but a portion of the money is expected to come from the renewal of a 3/8-cent sales tax that has been used the upkeep of Kauffman Stadium.

However, the sales tax was passed by voters in Jackson County, which is where the downtown ballpark location sits; if that location is chosen, the vote for it would likely occur in April. But the site across the river sits in Clay County, and that would potentially require a different funding structure than what has long been envisioned.

Another factor is that the Royals have shared that tax revenue with the Chiefs, because Kauffman Stadium shares the Truman Sports Complex with Arrowhead Stadium. But the NFL franchise prefers Arrowhead Stadium rather than build anew, and how those two franchises can continue to co-exist in different locations is not entirely clear.

Regardless of the choice of location, Sherman has said the new Royals stadium will take about three years to complete, which would mean opening day for the 2027 or 2028 season. He also said in a recent letter to fans that the project would create about 20,000 jobs, produce roughly $1.4 billion in labor income and $2.8 billion in total economic output, while its inaugural season would “generate some $185 million more in regional economic output than The K does today.”

Much of that money would come from premier seating and club spaces that are not possible at Kauffman Stadium, which has long been one of the jewels of Major League Baseball, but is currently the fourth-oldest park still in operation.

“Our region is at a critical juncture, and I say that in a positive way,” Sherman said. “We have a new airport. The World Cup is coming (in 2026). We just hosted the NFL Draft. We have a women’s soccer stadium coming out of the ground on the riverfront, the only one of its kind, and the Chiefs and Royals are talking about doing some really special things for this community.”

Manfred pointed to the way new stadiums for the Nationals and Braves have driven revitalization and revenue.

In the case of the Nationals, their new ballpark has sped up development of what was once a largely industrial neighborhood known as Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. In the case of the Braves, the glittering new Truist Park serves as the fulcrum of The Battery Atlanta, where restaurants and high-end residential areas have sprung from the ground.

“I lived in the District, worked in the District for 15 years. The Navy Yard, where Nationals Park sits, the time I lived there you wouldn’t go there. Nobody went there,” Manfred said. “If you go there now, you have the ballpark, all this development, high-class housing, mixed-use development. … (In Atlanta), they built a city where there was none. It has become one of the prime entertainment centers in the metropolitan area where there was nothing.”

Both of the Kansas City sites are optimal for development in that they are riddled with old, vacant buildings and empty lots. But both also would require substantial investment in parking, ingress and egress, and other infrastructure.

“This process that we’re in the middle of right now – evaluating – it’s imperative we do this right now to find a new home, a new stadium, a new ballpark,” Sherman said, “but as importantly a new location where we can bring vibrancy and energy around the ballpark and do great things for this city.”

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.

Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.

Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.

The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.

Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

Jake Allen, one of the top goaltenders available entering free agency, is not heading to the market after agreeing to a five-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Allen’s average annual value on the deal is $1.8 million, sources told ESPN. That AAV allows the Devils to run back the same goaltending tandem for next season.

Jacob Markstrom has one year remaining on his contract for $4.125 million. Nico Daws is also under contract for next season, before becoming a restricted free agent next summer.

Several teams were interested in the 34-year-old veteran, whom sources said could have made more money on the open market. However, the deal with the Devils gives Allen long-term security. Allen has played for the Blues, Canadiens and Devils over his 12-year-career. He has started in 436 career games.

Last season, Allen started 29 games for the Devils, going 13-16-1 with a .906 save percentage, 2.66 GAA and four shutouts.

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, $42M extension

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, M extension

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.

Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.

He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.

Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.

It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.

That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.

But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

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