Why Isn’t Worcester Bidding for the Pawtucket Red Sox?

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

On Monday it was announced that the Pawtucket Red Sox had been sold to a new ownership group led by Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino and that the team would be moving away from Pawtucket.

“The disappointing and devastating news is that they’re not considering staying in Pawtucket,” Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien told GoLocal.

"There have been no official announcements made just yet, there will still need to be due diligence needed on the site. But they are very interested in being in Providence. The deal for Pawtucket is all but dead," said Providence City Council President Luis Aponte. "I said to Mr. (James) Skeffington (new President of Pawtucket Red Sox), if Pawtucket could pull it out, would they be interested, but he said basically, if it's not Providence, it would be a broader catch area."

That ‘broader catch area’ could very well be Worcester.

“I think that the PawSox should leave the tiny state of Rhode Island altogether. That team will be lucky if its move to Providence, New England's 3rd largest city, falls through,” said Worcester City Councilor Gary Rosen. “I think that our City Manager, Mayor, Council and crackerjack Economic Development team should make a pitch for the PawSox. If Boston can go after the Olympics, Worcester can go after this fine Triple A Red Sox affiliate.”

Worcester Could Be Waiting in the Wings

"The doors are always open," said Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. "If the deal were to fall apart, I think people here would be willing to listen, but everyone recognizes this requires signifcant municipal assistance. Massachusetts, traditionally, has been reluctant to use tax dollars to those kind of things, and I think in most cases, appropriately so."

According to International League rules, all teams in the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs own rights to a 35-mile radius from home plate of their stadium. If the PawSox came to Worcester, that 35 mile area would include the cities of Providence, Framingham, Fitchburg, Leominster, and Marlborough. Worcester is at the middle point of Boston and Springfield, and Nashua and Hartford.

“The 'WorSox' could purchase, clean up and build a fine stadium on the spacious Wyman Gordon property near Kelly Square. That location also has excellent highway access. What a welcome neighbor the team would be to the up-and-coming Canal District. Worcester, New England's 2nd largest city, would be a much better home for the "WorSox." People from cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond would flock to our city on a frequent basis to see such high level and quality baseball," said Rosen.

Murray said the city has looked previously at the Wyman Gordon site, discussed expanding the field at Lake Park, or partnering with one of the colleges or universities on a site to build a baseball stadium. Murray noted that things get tricky when you start looking at these sites when you begin dealing with property and land acquisition costs and clean-up costs.

Skeffington, PawSox's new President, told GoLocal that the new ownership would be seeking public funds to build a new stadium on the watefront in downtown Providence. Skeffington was unsure how much money it would take to build the stadium but noted that similar projects cost around $60-$70 million.

"If the deal were to fall apart, obviously the Chamber and the city would be willing to listen," said Murray. "The reality is that the new owners, like the previous owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox, will be looking for public investment and partnership with this product. It may require tens of millions of dollars in public assistance."

No Professional Sports in Worcester in 2016

Worcester hasn't had professional baseball since 2012 when the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League played at Fitton Field at Holy Cross. With the recent announcement that the AHL Hockey team Worcester Sharks would be moving to San Jose following this season, there will be no professional teams of any sport in the city.

“Worcester is a city that has always loved baseball. You can track the history all the way back to the early 1900’s when we had a team in the National League. With the (Boston) Red Sox so close, and all of these minor league teams, the city still took to the Worcester Bravehearts. We were tops in attendance and won the Championship game in front of more than 2,000 people. Baseball will certainly thrive in this city,” said Casey Cummins, Bravehearts pitching coach.

The Worcester Bravehearts, the 2014 Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) Champions in their inaugural season, will be entering their second season as the only local major sport team left in the city. Last season, they drew over 50,000 people to Fitton Field.

"We have a great product with the Bravehearts and they had a great inaugural season. The Bravehearts are locally owned and controlled, and they had a great product and strong attendance in their first year," Murray said. "It plays on one of the advantages that Worcester does have that a lot of places don't, is the amount of colleges and universities around and the large number of student atheletes we have here."

“Last summer’s attendance just shows that no matter what level of the game it is, people from Worcester are going to come out and support baseball. They just want to see a great game. We might not have the best past when it comes to professional teams, but having Pawtucket in Worcester will be an easy sell," said Cummins.

"With the Yawkey Way T stop, Fenway Park is only an hour ride away. We have the Red Sox down the road and the Bravehearts in the city. It's the best of both worlds," said Murrray.