Could the Milwaukee Brewers move spring training home to Peoria?
Sep 17, 2014, 5:57 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2014, 8:34 am
PHOENIX — Peoria, Ariz., already boasts two Major League Baseball teams during spring training, but could they soon add another?
Reports said the Milwaukee Brewers were mulling a move from their current Phoenix stadium to the West Valley city.
“The city of Peoria is in early conversations with a baseball team,” said Bo Larson with Peoria, who declined to name the team.
Larson said the city is not pushing the negotiation process.
“There’s no timetable on this,” he said. “They reached out to us just to see what’s the possibility. It’s still very early in the discussion.”
If it does turn out to be the Brewers, it would mean the team is looking to leave Maryvale Stadium, where it’s played since 1998.
However, big ball clubs need a lot of room. Larson said that’s not an issue.
“The (Loop) 303 and Lake Pleasant Parkway area is what we call the Vistancia Commercial Core,” he said. “That’s an area of about 500 acres we’re looking at.”
The Brewers can opt out of their deal with Phoenix after next season. If they move, it would be the team’s fifth home in the Valley. Their third stadium, a facility in Chandler, is being converted into a gated community.
The Cactus League is the nation’s largest spring training league.
KTAR’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.