The Arizona Diamondbacks have filed a suit against the Maricopa County Stadium District. The team announced the suit on Tuesday in a press release. The suit is an effort to adjust the current lease at Chase Field so the team can look for new stadium partners.
Where did this come from?
Publicly, the Diamondbacks and Maricopa County have been feuding over Chase Field for about a year. The county owns Chase Field and are responsible for the structural repairs and renovations of the ballpark. The Diamondbacks claim that Chase Field is in need of repairs and the county is on the hook for $135 million of the total $185 million but the county is not willing or cannot pay for the repairs.
About a year ago, the feud was made public and since then, the two sides have tried to work things out. Unfortunately, no progress has been made and the legal battle has begun. In the press release on the Diamondbacks website, Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick said, "It is extremely unfortunate that we have been forced to take action today following several years of attempts to resolve this matter out of court. We have spent more than four years suggesting alternative solutions that would help the Maricopa County Stadium District hold up its end of our agreement, including multiple offers for us to assume all of the financial responsibilities they currently hold."
What does the lawsuit mean?
Well, the Diamondbacks current lease has them playing in Chase Field until the 2028 season.
Per the terms of the lease, the team cannot look for other stadium options. That is where the lawsuit comes in. The Diamondbacks feel that if the county cannot pay their end of the deal, the team wants the option to look elsewhere in Arizona for a potential new stadium.
Chase Field opened its doors in 1998, the ballpark is by no means old, but the team feels that there are renovations that need to be done, and if they aren't done, they want the option to go somewhere else. Where they would go though has not been discussed. The team has deep roots in downtown Phoenix where they have played since coming into existence in 1998. They are also connected to Scottsdale where they moved their spring training facility from Tucson in 2011.
Will this interfere with the 2017 season?
In the same press release released by the team on Tuesday, Kendrick said, "Our fans can rest assured that today's filing will have absolutely no impact on the day-to-day operations of the D-backs and the upcoming season." It may not impact the season, but this will be a cloud that hangs over the Major League Baseball club until it is resolved. Tuesday was just the first step in what could potentially be a lengthy legal battle.
