{"id":547616,"date":"2026-01-31T13:28:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T13:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/547616\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T13:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T13:28:05","slug":"kansas-city-royals-ball-park-options-diminishing-after-bidding-competition-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/547616\/","title":{"rendered":"Kansas City Royals ball park options diminishing after &#8216;bidding competition&#8217; warning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Kansas City Royals are under increasing pressure to make a decision on a new ballpark. <\/p>\n<p>But, this has been made somewhat easier as two strong options are now officially off the table. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kansas City, Missouri - Aerial view of Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium, home to the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs respectively.\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/crop-1812271.jpg\" data-caption=\"The Royals are set to leave Kauffman Stadium after the 2030 season\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/crop-1812271.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>The Royals are set to leave Kauffman Stadium after the 2030 seasonCredit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>It is no secret that the <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/topic\/mlb\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MLB<\/a> franchise are <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/nfl\/3869103\/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-arrowhead-kauffman-stadium-demolition-2031\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">looking to leave their current home of Kauffman Stadium<\/a> when their lease expires after the 2030 season. <\/p>\n<p>Having been engaged in talks with the <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/topic\/kansas-city-royals\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Royals<\/a> for a span stretching close to three years, officials in Clay County, Missouri announced on Wednesday, <a aria-label=\"via Front Office Sports (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/frontofficesports.com\/royals-stadium-plans-hit-suburban-dead-end-push-back-downtown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">via Front Office Sports<\/a>, that they will no longer &#8220;engage in a bidding competition with other jurisdictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This comes as the MLB side failed to provide a finalized proposal ahead of the Jan. 8. deadline that would have gone to voters in a ballot in April. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Royals elected not to accept the county\u2019s proposal within that timeframe,&#8221; the seven-member Clay County Commission said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>MORE FROM THE MLB<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a result, no proposal will be presented to the public for a vote.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Kansas City also had an option to follow in the footsteps of the <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/topic\/nfl\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL<\/a> team <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/topic\/kansas-city-chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/nfl\/3842887\/travis-kelce-patrick-mahomes-chiefs-arrowhead-stadium-relocation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">move across state lines<\/a>, though to the suburban area of Overland Park, Kansas. <\/p>\n<p>But the team has recently abandoned plans for a new ballpark and mixed-use development following a decision made by Kansas officials not to continue talks with the club at the end of 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/sport\/baseball\/3897471\/royals-new-ballpark-cost-chiefs-incentives\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">after missing Dec. 31 deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The purchased mortgage for the land in Overland Park in Johnson County has reportedly been held by a Royals affiliate.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/sport\/baseball\/3946346\/clayton-kershaw-nbc-tv-retirement-dodgers-mlb\/\" class=\"rail_anchor_text\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rail-stacked_img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/crop-3946396.jpg\" alt=\"Clayton Kershaw nearing new career after retiring and declining Dodgers front office job\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Clayton Kershaw nearing new career after retiring and declining Dodgers front office job<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs stated when the Aspiria mortgage was acquired, the investment was made to maintain the site as an option for a new Kansas City Royals stadium,\u201d a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcur.org\/sports\/2026-01-27\/royals-stadium-overland-park-aspiria-kansas-city\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" Royals spokesperson said in an emailed statement, via KCUR (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\"> Royals spokesperson said in an emailed statement, via KCUR<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter significant evaluation, we do not believe this site meets our criteria for a stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A general view of the sky lighting up as the Kansas City Royals take on the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 01, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. \" height=\"640\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/general-view-sky-lighting-kansas-1037985275.jpg\" data-caption=\"The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since it opened in 1973\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/general-view-sky-lighting-kansas-1037985275.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since it opened in 1973Credit: Getty<a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A general view prior to the AFC Championship NFL football game Between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"Getty\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/crop-3317577.jpg\" data-caption=\"The Chiefs will be leaving Arrowhead Stadium in 2031 and moving across state lines\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/crop-3317577.jpg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs will be leaving Arrowhead Stadium in 2031 and moving across state linesCredit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe continue to evaluate opportunities throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area to create a world-class ballpark district. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As always, we hear and appreciate the input of our fans throughout the region. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We remain hard at work toward the best solution for our team, fans, partners, and community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Royals still looking to follow Chiefs out of Missouri<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs announced their plans to move away from the iconic Arrowhead Stadium in favor of building a brand new <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/nfl\/3851221\/kansas-city-chiefs-arrowhead-stadium-move-loophole-missouri\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$4 billion domed arena<\/a> that they hope is worthy enough to host a Super Bowl at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, back in 2021, Royals owner John Sherman publicized that he wanted to build a downtown ballpark and remain in Missouri. <\/p>\n<p>He had identified the eight-block East Village as an early preferred site in Kansas City and Jackson County. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Chiefs have unveiled renders of their new proposed stadium in Kansas\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\" data-credit=\"X\/@JoePompliano\" data-img=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KC-NEW-STADIUM.jpeg\" data-caption=\"The Chiefs will now be based in Kansas City instead of Missouri\"   loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KC-NEW-STADIUM.jpeg\" role=\"img\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4<\/p>\n<p>The Chiefs will now be based in Kansas City instead of MissouriCredit: X\/@JoePompliano<\/p>\n<p>However, these <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/sport\/baseball\/3882289\/royals-new-ballpark-kansas-city-locations-east-village-chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">plans were scuppered in April 2024<\/a> when voters denied the proposal of an extension of an existing sales tax that contributes to the upkeep of Kauffman Stadium, which would have also served as some funding for any new MLB stadium. <\/p>\n<p>As a result, other potential sites for a new ballpark emerged, with <a href=\"https:\/\/talksport.com\/sport\/baseball\/3855634\/royals-downtown-ballpark-kansas-city-appeal-relocation\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Union Station even making a pitch<\/a> as they sought a return of downtown baseball. <\/p>\n<p>These plans could yet be revisited, per Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas. <\/p>\n<p>When\u00a0asked if anything would &#8216;preclude&#8217; the team from revisiting the East Village, Lucas said on Jan. 5 2026: &#8220;There is not from a Kansas City government perspective. There is not from any factor that we would look to.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Obviously, there are real estate realities. There are different owners in that area, and there are conversations necessarily that would need to happen with them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But from the viewpoint of local government, there\u2019s no material impediment that we would impose as to any site in Kansas City proper.<\/p>\n<p>Read More on talkSPORT<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My view would be ultimately that that would be something for the team to evaluate. We\u2019d be happy to stand with them and work with them as we look to come to whatever solutions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Stay up to date with the latest from\u00a0the MLB\u00a0across all platforms &#8211; follow our dedicated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61571480857518\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">talkSPORT USA Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@talkSPORTUSA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">talkSPORT USA YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Kansas City Royals are under increasing pressure to make a decision on a new ballpark. But, this&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2387],"tags":[67513,11853,11825,5,4024,10796,69007,64834,11065,2196,936,2123,4065,55,65713,2596,2595,5735,3183,67515,57,11374,4,3537,9266,20218,59735,66321,1082,252,67517,65712,67518,20235,16374,58245,17516,59737,67514,67516,1039],"class_list":{"0":"post-547616","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-royals","8":"tag-are-the-chiefs-leaving-missouri","9":"tag-arrowhead","10":"tag-arrowhead-stadium","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-baseball-news","13":"tag-chiefs","14":"tag-chiefs-kansas-move","15":"tag-chiefs-move","16":"tag-chiefs-stadium","17":"tag-dodger-stadium","18":"tag-kansas","19":"tag-kansas-city","20":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","21":"tag-kansas-city-royals","22":"tag-kansas-city-royals-owner","23":"tag-kansascity","24":"tag-kansascityroyals","25":"tag-kauffman","26":"tag-kauffman-stadium","27":"tag-kc-royals-move","28":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","29":"tag-major-league-baseball-news","30":"tag-mlb","31":"tag-mlb-news","32":"tag-mlb-stadiums","33":"tag-new-chiefs-stadium","34":"tag-new-kansas-city-royals-ballpark","35":"tag-new-royals-stadium","36":"tag-nfl","37":"tag-royals","38":"tag-royals-kauffman-stadium","39":"tag-royals-mlb","40":"tag-royals-mlb-ballpark-locations","41":"tag-royals-move","42":"tag-royals-new-ballpark","43":"tag-royals-new-stadium","44":"tag-royals-relocation","45":"tag-truman-sports-complex","46":"tag-where-will-the-chiefs-new-stadium-be","47":"tag-will-the-royals-move-out-of-kansas-city","48":"tag-world-series"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}