Kansas City Royals handed reprieve after billion-dollar Chiefs abandon historic MLB franchise

The Kansas City Chiefs are skipping town, and the Royals could be left in the lurch.

After building a modern-day NFL dynasty at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs will be moving across the Kansas-Missouri state line to construct a new, $3 billion domed facility that will be ready for the start of the 2031 season.

Getty

They will be leaving Truman Sports Complex, their home since 1972, where the Royals have been neighbours for more than half a century.

Kauffman Stadium stands next to Arrowhead, but like the Chiefs, Kansas City’s MLB team has no future at the complex — the Royals will need to move out when their lease expires in January 2031.

Where they go, though, remains the big question.

Why are the KC Royals facing stadium issues?

Owner John Sherman has made no secret of his preference to build a downtown ballpark, and remain in Missouri, but his plans have long been scuppered.

He shared his hopes for a new facility way back in 2021, and the eight-block East Village was said to be an early preferred site in Kansas City and Jackson County.

But in April 2024, voters defeated the extension of an existing sales tax that pays for the upkeep of Kauffman, and would have helped to fund any new MLB stadium.

The result meant other potential ballpark locations have come into focus, and Union Station recently made a pitch for the return of downtown baseball.

There has also been speculation that the team could follow the Chiefs across state lines.

While the East Village plan has faded into the background since the failed sales tax vote, Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas has revealed there is nothing stopping the Royals from circling back to the idea.

KC mayor offers Royals reprieve in stadium search

When asked by the Kansas City Business Journal if anything would ‘preclude’ the team from revisiting the East Village, Lucas said: “There is not from a Kansas City government perspective.

Getty

Getty

“There is not from any factor that we would look to.

“Obviously, there are real estate realities. There are different owners in that area, and there are conversations necessarily that would need to happen with them.

“But from the viewpoint of local government, there’s no material impediment that we would impose as to any site in Kansas City proper.

“My view would be ultimately that that would be something for the team to evaluate. We’d be happy to stand with them and work with them as we look to come to whatever solutions.”

It remains unclear exactly when the Royals will decide their next move, but the East Village could still be a viable opinion after Lucas’ latest revelation.

According to the Business Journal, he also attributed the team’s lengthy stadium process, in part, to ownership taking time since the Jackson County vote to ‘more extensively negotiate and research different sites.’

Getty

He added the continued discussion around multiple potential Kansas City locations affirms ‘the permanency of Downtown as a superior option’ for any new ballpark, as Missouri battles to keep their baseball team from moving out of state.

Stay up to date with the latest from US Sports across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.