During his last formal session with the local media on Tuesday afternoon, departing Nationals team president Stan Kasten mentioned that the team was looking into its options regarding its current spring-training home in Viera, Fla.
Obviously, this could just be a way to get conversations started with the folks in Brevard County about renovating the complex in Viera, which has been the team’s home since its days in Montreal. But the Lerner Family has looked at every spring-training complex in Florida and Arizona, according to Kasten, and a move in the near future is possible.
Recommended Stories
The drawbacks in Viera are clear. When the Dodgers departed Vero Beach (54 miles) in 2008 for Arizona that left the three Orlando-area sites – Houston (Kissimmee – 61 miles), Atlanta (Lake Buena Vista – 63 miles) and Detroit (Lakeland – 98 miles) as the closest road trips along with the Mets down the coast in Port St. Lucie (76 miles). St. Louis and Florida share a complex in Jupiter – 111 miles away. Eight other major-league teams train in cities on the Gulf Coast.
The Nats have a lease at Space Coast Stadium through Dec. 31, 2017. There would be financial penalties should they break it. Would they be willing to pay up if another team doesn’t move into the area? And could it happen as soon as the 2012 season?
“I don’t know. That presumes moving the operation. That’s why I wouldn’t want to say,” Kasten said. “We have a lease that runs through 2017. Now, does that mean we stay there beyond that or leave earlier? I wouldn’t rule anything in or out. I just wouldn’t until we know what we’re going to do.”
Kasten also mentioned that he had personally visited every facility in Arizona except two – and principal owner Mark Lerner had seen those himself. No teams from the East Coast currently hold spring training in Arizona.
“We’re giving it a good hard look and examining all our options. And we’re not at all ruling Viera out,” Kasten insisted. “We’re keeping everything on the table. I don’t think we’ll be sitting here a year from now with this question still unknown. I think we’ll have something to say long before that.”
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
