MLB team faces fresh blow in long-running ballpark search as new bill threatens to pull funding
A Missouri lawmaker has introduced a bill that could stump plans for a new Kansas City Royals ballpark.
Back in December, the Kansas City Chiefs announced plans to build a new, $3 billion stadium in neighboring Kansas.
The move will see Clark Hunt’s NFL franchise leave the Truman Sports Complex in Missouri, where Arrowhead Stadium is located, in time for the 2031 season.
Kauffman Stadium, the home ballpark of the Royals, stands on the same site — and the future of the MLB team has been up in the air for quite some time too.
Their own stadium search remains ongoing, as the lease at Kauffman expires after the 2030 season, but a new site is yet to be decided.
Owner John Sherman has previously been said to prefer building a new ballpark in the Kansas City metropolitan area, which would keep the team in Missouri.
However, funding for such a project could be a real problem, should new legislation pass.
Royals’ stadium funding at risk of being pulled
According to the Kansas City Star, Senator Tracy McCreery has introduced a bill in the Missouri Senate that would repeal tax incentives meant to keep both the Chiefs and Royals from leaving the state.
The bill relates to the ‘Show-Me Sports Investment Act’ which was passed during a special session last year and would offer state funding for up to 50 percent of stadium costs for professional sports teams.
It was Missouri’s top effort to retain the Royals and Chiefs, after residents of Jackson County resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark in April 2024.
McCreery, though, believes the act is no longer needed.
“The Chiefs have announced they’re moving to Kansas, and as far as I can tell, the Royals have not indicated that this legislation is going to help them stay in the state,” she said, according to The Star.
“I consider that bill a failed stadium deal.
“I think that as a state, the state legislature needs to be responsible with taxpayer money and I’m concerned that Missouri is burning through money very quickly.”
However, stadium funding was a key initiative for Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe last year and McCreery’s repeal faces an uphill battle.
The odds of the bill passing, and then being signed by Gov. Kehoe, have been described as ‘pretty unlikely.’
For the Royals, though, it marks another twist in a long-running stadium saga.
Where could the Royals build a new ballpark?
Back in January, a key deadline for the MLB team to tap into a Kansas funding package passed, and Missouri officials shared renewed confidence that the team will remain on their side of the state line.
The Royals have explored options around the Kansas City metro, including Washington Square Park downtown, near Union Station and Crown Center.
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas believes it will be possible to get a deal for a new downtown stadium done this year, while team owner Sherman hopes it can be struck before the end of the 2026 baseball season.
“I think it’s time to get on with it. I know our fans have stadium fatigue, or deal fatigue, and we’ve got that, too,” he said during spring training in Arizona.
“But this is a generational decision. It’s very strategic, and we’ve got to get it right.
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“We’re not settled yet anywhere, but I would tell you that I don’t think that we’re that far away. I’ve got a great sense of urgency on this.
“Time is not our friend. When the Chiefs made their announcement in December, there was a whole new wave of enthusiasm on the Missouri side.
“And don’t mean they weren’t working hard (before), but from the governor on down, there’s a lot of effort being put forth.”
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