Eugene Emeralds players celebrate in this provided photo from 2024. The Emeralds are considering Medford as a future home for the team.
Courtesy of the Eugene Emeralds
The 70-year-old Eugene Emeralds baseball team wants to move to the Rogue Valley after they failed to secure funding for a new stadium to meet current league requirements.
The team currently shares PK Park with the University of Oregon team, and it’s not up to the new standards that took effect this season.
At a Medford City Council study session Wednesday night, Emeralds General Manager Allan Benavides said Minor League Baseball has changed since the Medford A’s left the city in 1999.
“Back then, the Medford A’s played in a small stadium and under a loose system with few standards,” said Benavides. “Today, Major League Baseball controls the entire minor league structure. Teams must meet strict facility, travel and development requirements. It’s a very professional system.”
Benavides touted the Giants affiliate’s ability to engage with the Eugene community, holding numerous fundraisers and events. That includes partnering with the local Boys & Girls Club and holding special cultural events.
Medford is the team’s first pick if they had to leave Eugene, he said.
“You’ve built world-class facilities that rival almost anywhere in the country,” he said. “Rogue X is just the latest example of the grit and determination you guys bring to bettering the lives of your citizenry.”
Rouge X is a new, city-owned indoor recreation and aquatic center built for $76 million.
Benavides said bringing the Emeralds to Medford would be a valuable economic engine for the city, especially amid its goals to revitalize the city’s downtown.
An economic feasibility study paid for by the city found that this new stadium could stimulate a little over $30 million in economic output in Medford. It could also generate over half a million dollars in extra tax revenue for the city.
While Medford City Council members were excited about bringing a Minor League Baseball team to the city, the costs of building a stadium are a concern.
“The numbers here are the concern, that’s kind of the long and the short of it,” said Councilmember Nick Carr. ”I’m glad we’re having this conversation. How do we do $45 million? Can we even do that?”
A new stadium the team had proposed in Eugene was estimated to cost around $90 million. One initial proposal for Medford is that the city and county would fund 50% of the construction as a loan.
The stadium could be a major economic driver for the city. But Carr said the city needs to pay for other major projects, like a wastewater treatment facility and a new jail.
“The last thing I want to do is be like, ‘Hey, you guys, I know you just paid a bunch of money for a jail. Let’s build a stadium too,‘” Carr said.
The city hasn’t yet examined all of the options for funding construction. Medford city staff are going to be looking at those in the next few months.
The Emeralds are hoping to make quick progress on this, because they’re already in violation of the league rules, and planning and construction of a new stadium would likely take one to two years.
Roman Battaglia is a reporter with JPR. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
