The Cardinals first moved their Spring Training to Jupiter in '98, and their current lease runs through '27roger dean chevrolet stadium
The MLB Cardinals' long-held desire for financing and approval to bring their Spring Training complex up to date has "received a boost for what is expected to be" a $108M renovation at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, but the team will have to "wait a few more seasons," according to Derrick Goold of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Cardinals ownership yesterday detailed a plan to have a "modernized facility" in time for Spring Training in '22. The club "would break ground on the construction project at the end" of Spring Training in '21, and some of the plans "would call for a demolition of the current building that houses the clubhouse, minor-league clubhouse, offices and training area." The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners in December approved the $108M plan to "upgrade and update the facility shared by the Cardinals and Marlins, and architectural bids are due in the first week of February." The Cardinals moved their Spring Training to Jupiter in '98, and they are in the "midst of a 10-year lease that lasts through" '27. For several years, the Cardinals have "attempted to modernize the facility," but each attempt was "limited in scope because the Marlins must mirror any upgrades as a term of the lease and other hurdles." The goal will be to "bring the Cardinals' spring facility in line" with some of the newer Arizona sites (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/21).
TIGHTENING GRIP: Cardinals Chair & CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. yesterday said that he "did not expect a 'significant' addition" to be made to the team's roster, nor did he "think it would be wise for the team's 'model.'" DeWitt added that payroll is "likely to be around" $170M for this season. But he called that figure "pushing the envelope." The POST-DISPATCH's Goold notes the guaranteed contracts the Cardinals have committed to in recent years "alleviate their hold on the payroll" after the '21 season. The club said that they "ranked 11th in local revenue" last season (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/21).
