Manfred Pushes Bold $2B Stadium Project For K.C.’s Small Market

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has big expectations for a venue in one of the league’s smallest markets.

Appearing in Kansas City to help support the Royals’ ongoing push to replace Kauffman Stadium, Manfred pointed to venues in Atlanta and Washington — two of MLB’s foremost facility success stories — as the type of broad, entertainment-district projects to emulate.

“It’s the power of baseball,” said Manfred, speaking at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City along with Royals owner John Sherman. “Eighty-one [home] games changed what the community looks like, all for the better.”

The Royals are determining which of two potential sites — one in downtown Kansas City and another in neighboring Clay County — will house a new $2 billion ballpark district, with the final choice due in September. 

The selection will be crucial both for the city, which is MLB’s third-smallest market, and the team, which ranks 25th in team payroll. “For a market of this size, those [development] opportunities are critical in today’s game in order to put the ballclub in position to be competitive over the long haul,” Manfred said.

Blueprints For Success

The Braves, now one of the league’s top-performing teams both on and off the field, set a new Truist Park record on Tuesday with their 43rd sellout of the season. In Washington, Nationals Park dramatically revitalized the Navy Yard area, where the stadium is located.

Sherman said the proposed stadium development “will be the most important decision that we would make while we have the privilege of stewarding this franchise.”