KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals remain committed to exploring “all options” in Kansas and Missouri, the club said in a statement Wednesday.
With a special session set for June 2 in Missouri, where lawmakers plan to continue discussions on an incentives package aimed at retaining the Chiefs and Royals, stadium conversations continue to swirl.
In the team’s Wednesday statement, the Royals said a final site decision has not yet been made, so “any assertion to the contrary is inaccurate.”
Nevertheless, conversations about potential sites have resulted in negotiations or investments in “multiple potential sites” in both states, per the team.
“One of these investments was the acquisition (by an affiliate of the Royals) of the mortgage on the Aspiria campus through an arms-length process,” the Royals said.
Aspiria, a mixed-use campus, is situated at W. 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park.
About two months ago, Occidental Management, the Wichita-based company that runs Asipiria, poured cold water on rumors of a Royals move to the site.
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However, the team confirmed in its statement an interest in the area remains.
“In fact, in the weeks since we purchased the mortgage, we have continued to work through a strategic, diligent and focused process in both states to ensure we can reach the best decision,” the statement asserted.
Occidental Management declined to comment on the team's news.
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As the “complex, time-consuming” process to find a new home remains ongoing, the club said it is actively pursuing multiple options at the same time.
Kansas’ STAR Bonds offer to lure the teams across the state line expires June 30, but can be extended.
Missouri lawmakers hope to have a similar offer following the conclusion of the June 2 special session.
“I think Missouri needs to put its best foot forward on what a good offer is," KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said Wednesday. "It will be responsible, it’ll be the sort of thing that looks to protect our taxpayers. Most importantly, it’s saying simply this: at the Kansas City level and at the state of Missouri, having those who use the stadium fund the stadium ultimately, that is all that I think Governor Kehoe is putting forward. I think it makes a lot of sense. It can generate a lot of money.”
Regardless of where the team ultimately decides to move, the Royals continue to promise fans the team is “committed to finding a generational home” that will be enjoyed for “decades to come.”
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