(WBBM NEWSRADIO) The White Sox could be on the move — but not too far.
The team is in serious negotiations to build a new ballpark in the South Loop at a 62-acre tract of land at Roosevelt and Clark, the Sun-Times reported Wednesday evening. The land is known as “The 78” and is owned by Related Midwest.
In a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, mayor Brandon Johnson and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made no mention of a potential move but said a meeting was held that involved “the team’s ideas for remaining competitive in Chicago in perpetuity.”
The franchise’s current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires after the 2029 season.
The 78 is in line to be used for a portion of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s plans for a University of Illinois tech research center.
This past summer, a report circulated that Reinsdorf would consider abandoning Guaranteed Rate Field after 2029. Leaving Chicago and moving the club to Nashville was listed as an option Reinsdorf was contemplating.
Reinsdorf addressed the report about a week later.
“Ever since the article came out, I’ve been reading about that I’ve been threatening to move the team to Nashville,” Reinsdorf said. “That article didn’t come from me. But it’s obvious that if we have six years left (on the lease), I think that’s what it is, we’ve got to decide. What’s the future going to be? We’ll get to it. But I’ve never threatened to move out. We haven’t even begun to have discussions with the Sports Authority, which we will have to do soon.”
In December, the White Sox confirmed Reinsdorf met with Nashville mayor Freddie O’Connell while in town for MLB’s Winter Meetings but refused to share what was discussed.