The Atlanta Braves are reportedly exploring different options for their Spring Training home after their lease with Disney ends this spring.
Orlando may soon be without Major League Baseball during March.
The Atlanta Braves are reportedly considering their options for spring training after their lease with Disney’s Wide World of Sports expires at the end of Spring Training 2016. Among the potential sites that have been reported is a newly built facility in St. Petersburg, Fla.
That would leave Orlando without a Spring Training home as the Houston Astros have announced they will leave Osceola County Stadium after the 2016 season.
The Braves have not made a final decision, but action is being taken in St. Petersburg with a separate project that could accommodate the Braves.
That proposal comes in the form of a sprawling athletic complex similar to Disney’s Wide World of Sports in St. Petersburg. The project, called Toytown, is reportedly a joint venture from the Braves and former MLB All Star Gary Sheffield. It goes to review from the county board very soon.
That vote could very well seal baseball’s fate in Orlando.
There are still hurdles to overcome. Charlie Frago and Tracey McManus of the Tampa Bay Times bring up that this project could be used as some kind of political chip in the ongoing negotiations between St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays to build a new stadium. They wonder if it could compete for both land and public money to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg.
There are still a lot of steps that need to take place before the move becomes official.
As baseball’s season comes to a close, Spring Training will come up quickly. By then, the issue will need to be resolved. And from there, Orlando’s baseball future is uncertain.
