Some of the cities with the longest wait to host an MLB All-Star Game hope to end those droughts in the near future.
Next year’s Game will be played in Philadelphia, 30 years after the last Midsummer Classic to take place in the City of Brotherly Love. And USA Today reported earlier this week that the Cubs were approved by MLB to host the 2027 All-Star Game, with an announcement slated for July 30.
The team has not confirmed, yet it is interested in hosting the Midsummer Classic, and is following MLB’s process in order to secure the jewel event for the first time since 1990.
The Chicago city council recently approved a $30M+ security package to enhance safety around the ballpark.
The Phillies next year will be hosting the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park for the first time, 30 years after the Game was held at the old Veterans Stadium. Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004.
On Tuesday, the S.F. Chronicle reported that the Giants are the frontrunner for the 2028 All-Star Game if MLB players compete in the 2028 L.A. Olympics. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark both sounded optimistic about the possibility earlier in the day during separate Q&A sessions with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
That would allow S.F. to show off its own mixed-development project, Mission Rock, near Oracle Park.
Three other cities that last hosted in the 1990s are also showing an interest in bringing the Game back: Toronto (1991), Baltimore (1993) and Boston (1999).
The Orioles have made no secret of their desire to land the All-Star Game, backed by a $400M renovation of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
“We’re very, very eager to have the opportunity to host an All-Star Game back in Baltimore,” Orioles President of Business Operations Catie Griggs told SBJ. “We have an incredible city, an incredible ballpark, and would come to life in a way that would really surprise people.”
The Blue Jays, with their own $289.5M renovation of Rogers Centre, also want the Midsummer Classic.
“Obviously, (the Blue Jays) are kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time,” Manfred said. “I’d like to be back in Toronto. Rogers has made a really significant investment in terms of improvements in the stadium. TBD at this point, beyond that.”
The Red Sox, Manfred said, have also shown an interest in the All-Star Game returning to Fenway Park for the first time since the memorable night in 1999 when the All-Century Players were introduced and Baseball HOFer Ted Williams tipped his hat to the crowd.
Only one MLB franchise has never hosted an All-Star Game: the Rays, who have been displaced from the only ballpark they’ve ever called home, Tropicana Field, by storm damage and are playing this season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The A’s, who moved to Sacramento this season from Oakland, have not hosted the Game since 1987.
Other developments from Tuesday:
- Manfred appeared confident that the Twins would eventually be sold. “I’m not prepared to tell you today,” Manfred said. “There will be a transaction there and it will be consistent with the kind of pricing that has been taken (lately). Just need to be patient there.”
- On the All-Star Game returning to Atlanta after it was pulled in 2021 over problematic voting laws in the state: “The reason to come back here is self-revealing. You walk around here, the level of interest and excitement with a great facility, the support this market has given baseball, those are really good reasons to come back here.”
- On the Diversity Pipeline Program: “Sometimes you have to look at how the world is changing around you and readjust to where you are. There were certain aspects to some of our programs that were very explicitly race and/or gender based. We know people in Washington were aware of that. We felt it was important to recast our programs in a way to make sure we could continue on with our programs and continue to pursue the values we’ve always adhered to without tripping what could be legal problems that could interfere with that process.”
- On ICE: “We did have conversations with the [Trump] administration. They assured us there would be protections for our players. They told us that was going to happen and that’s what’s happened.”
