Hobbs addresses how state needs Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs discusses on Sept. 3, 2025, what needs to be fixed at Chase Field and how the state needs the Diamondbacks to stay in Phoenix.
The team will meet with consultants to prioritize infrastructural issues like HVAC, pipes and roof repairs.A new lease agreement, potentially lasting 30 years, will need to be negotiated for the ballpark.
Having finally landed the public funding they sought to renovate Chase Field, the Diamondbacks are starting to figure out how they want to spend it.
Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said the club will have its “first big meeting” with Atlanta-based stadium consultant JLL on Thursday, Sept. 4, the first step in determining what areas of the ballpark will be addressed first following the passage of House Bill 2704.
“We’re going to have a full afternoon,” Hall said. “And then we’ll start bringing in architects and then getting down to details.”
Hall spoke with reporters after a bill-signing ceremony with Gov. Katie Hobbs before the game on Sept. 3. Hobbs, clad in a Diamondbacks jersey with her name across the back, joined Hall and Rep. Jeff Weninger atop the home dugout about an hour before first pitch.
The event was ceremonial; Hobbs signed House Bill 2704 into law in June. The measure sponsored by Weninger, a Chandler Republican, redirects tax revenue collected at Chase Field back into the stadium. Hall said he expected it would generate $20 million to $25 million annually, though that number could rise with inflationary increases.
Hall said there are a variety of infrastructural issues that likely will be the first areas addressed. He said he hopes most “major renovations” take place within the next five or six years.
“It needs a lot of work,” Hall said of the 27-year-old ballpark. “We’ve got a lot of things (that need attention) that most people wouldn’t even see. Like the HVAC system, cement, cracks, pipes. A lot of work that we have to do infrastructure-wise.”
He also mentioned roof repairs as well as new video and ribbon boards.
In the meantime, the Diamondbacks will need to reach a new lease agreement on the ballpark. Their current lease runs through 2027.
Hall said the lease can be negotiated either with Maricopa County supervisors, who make up the current stadium district board, or through the revamped board after the law goes into effect later this month. The new board will have members appointed by various officials, including the mayor, county Board of Supervisors, governor and legislative leaders.
Hall said he “could see” the new lease running at least 30 years, which would cover the life of the legislation.
One thing that doesn’t sound likely to happen: a reduction in ballpark capacity. He noted that most new ballparks in the past decade have close to 40,000 seats, while Chase Field is closer to 50,000, but he said the organization is glad it has the larger capacity when it hosts big events.
Hall was grilled by reporters seeking assurances that the Diamondbacks would contribute the $250 million to renovations they have promised, despite not being bound by the legislation to do so.
“My understanding was you can’t put it in the bill because it would be unconstitutional,” Hall said. “But we have committed to it long ago.”