PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres
announced jointly with the city of Peoria on Monday a 20-year lease
extension that will keep the teams in the Cactus League through 2034.
With
the agreement comes $48 million in city funds to upgrade the Peoria
Sports Complex, including new, state-of-the-art clubhouses for both
teams.
"It's really an important day today for the city of
Peoria," Peoria mayor Bob Barrett said at a morning press conference.
"We've had a partnership with these two teams for years, and I'm proud
to say we're now going to continue that relationship into the future.
"We found a way to do this and make it fiscally responsible for all of us."
The
initial clubhouse upgrades will cost $30 million. Additional work
planned for facilities includes stadium upgrades such as seating
improvement, a party deck and field enhancements.
"This is a
great facility, and I think we can make it even better," Padres
president and chief operating officer Tom Garfinkel said. "Certainly,
our clubhouse after 18 or 19 years could use some upgrades. We're
thankful we're going to get to do that."
Peoria Sports Complex
was completed in 1994 and was the Cactus League's first two-team
facility. Since then, four more facilities have been built to house two
teams, including the newest, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which
was finished last season and houses the Arizona Diamondbacks and
Colorado Rockies.
The Padres and Mariners use the Arizona complex
year-round for player development. It features 12 full-size practice
fields and a main stadium with a capacity of more than 11,000.
"We're
proud to have called Peoria our home," Mariners president and chief
operating officer Chuck Armstrong said. "This is where we want to be.
We're happy to be here for another 20 years."
