BayBears leaving Mobile almost a done deal

With the approval of the construction of a $48 million ballpark in Madison, AL, it has become clear the BayBears will leave Mobile after the 2019 season. 

Future Madison ballpark funding of the 7,000 seat AA ballpark was approved by the Madison City Council on Monday night.

The Huntsville suburb plans a lot of activities next to baseball to make the ballpark profitable. Next to baseball, the city is thinking of concerts and soccer. In this case, the ballpark will be filled almost year round.

The city of Madison is gambling on a lot of attraction from adjacent cities like Huntsville. The question is if that will work as Huntsville eventually failed as a Southern League market. The Huntsville Stars left for Biloxi to become the Shuckers in 2015.

The ballpark will be part of the Town Madison development, a large-scale project that will see plenty of retail, commercial space, hotels and residential units.

The BayBears came with the following statement: “The Mobile BayBears Professional Baseball Club will remain in Mobile for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

After consultation with the Ralph Nelson, CEO of BallCorps, LLC, the new ownership group of the BayBears, it was determined that it is in the best interest of the organization and the Southern League for the team to remain in Mobile through the end of the ’19 season.”

Ballcorp LLC, the new owner of the BayBears, can now prepare a relocation application with Minor League Baseball and the Southern League.

Even though it stinks if a team is leaving a city, we can all look forward to new MiLB merchandise as soon as the club settles in Madison. That is the only positive thing about a relocation.