By Jeremy Cluff | Arizona Republic
As questions continue to swirl around the future of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Arizona, one writer has offered a potential solution to the team’s stadium situation: reducing the capacity of Chase Field.
USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lacques addressed the team’s stadium situation in a story discussing declining attendance in baseball.
Of the Diamondbacks, he wrote: “The Arizona Diamondbacks can escape their Chase Field lease in 2022 if they build a new stadium within Maricopa County; the team gained that right by agreeing to drop a lawsuit claiming the county owed $187 million in repair and renovations to Chase Field, which opened in 1998. Failing that, the Diamondbacks could follow the lead of the Rays, Cleveland Indians and others, and simply transform their 48,000-seat stadium into a smaller venue that reflects an environment where attendance across MLB is projected to decline for a fourth consecutive year, mirroring trends in several sports.”
