Mesa mayor: Keeping Cubs may be difficult

Any financial investment, private or public, to build spring training facilities right now is "a difficult proposition," Mesa Mayor Scott Smith told reporters Tuesday.

Smith joins Building America's Future

That comment came in response to a question about Mesa's efforts to keep the Chicago Cubs in the city, following the Cubs chairman's demands for better training facilities. The Cubs have an opt-out clause that would let the team leave Mesa in 2012, even though the team's contract goes to 2016.

Smith said Tuesday that "while it's hard to imagine Mesa and the Cubs not being together, I think we need to face up to the reality that baseball is a business."

The Cubs' opt-out option gives them an upper hand.

Smith was clear that any investment would have to be done in a way that doesn't take resources away from basic city services. "We could easily turn around and just redirect money, but we're not going to trade police officers for Cubs," Smith said.

The challenge in coming up with money for the renovations, he said, is that there's no direct revenue generated by a spring training facility, apart from ticket sales.

But it's also valuable to hold on to these facilities because of the economic benefits that come from the out-of-town visitors that attend these games, he added.

Mesa voters recently approved a deal with Gaylord Entertainment Co. of Nashville, under which the bed-tax revenues paid by hotel visitors would go to Gaylord to spend on marketing efforts.

In this case, the mayor said that there's too much at stake for the city's economic health to not keep chipping away at ways to come up with the money.

Mesa hotels depend on spring training fans to fill up their rooms, and local businesses get a boost. This year, the economic downturn and fewer fans showing up in the city has had a dramatic reduction in hotel occupancy, for instance.

"That's one reason why I think it's completely appropriate for a city to be involved in these activities, because there is a net benefit," Smith said. "This is not one of those pie-in-the-sky type of scenarios. We do see thousands of people from out of state come into our community and leave their dollars because of spring training. I believe it should be a top priority of ours to do whatever we can to meet the needs of the Cubs."

The mayor reiterated that Mesa has served the Cubs well over the past three decades, especially when it comes to spring training operations.

"Whether that's enough to keep the Cubs in addition to some of the change they want, time will tell," Smith said. "I can tell you it's going to be difficult."

Over the past couple of weeks, Smith has been in touch with Cubs chairman Crane Kenney to get a handle on the improvements the team would like. Mainly, the issue is the aging Fitch Park, where the team does its training.

Baseball has evolved as a sport over the years, especially from when the Fitch Park facilities were built, city officials acknowledge. The Cubs need more space for rehabilitation and weight training, for instance, all areas the current facility lacks. The team also would like more seating in Hohokam Stadium.

These needs, the mayor accepts, go beyond any "fancy, nice frilly stuff," and the Cubs' facilities are below newer spring training facilities in Glendale or Goodyear.

Smith said they don't yet have a handle on how much investment this would require. In Scottsdale, the San Francisco Giants' minor and major league facilities' renovation about three years ago cost $23.1 million.