CLEVELAND — Less than two weeks after making an announcement about their future name, the Cleveland Indians will provide an update on their current home.
Indians owner Paul Dolan and local officials including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones Jr. will hold a press conference on Thursday regarding the status of the team's lease. The press conference, which will begin at 10:30 a.m., will be streamed live in the player above, as well as WKYC's YouTube and Facebook pages.
The status of the Indians' lease, which currently runs through the 2023 MLB season, has been a highly discussed topic in recent months. Last month, Gov. DeWine revealed to 3News' Mark Naymik that he had become involved in the negotiations to extend the team's lease and help remake the ballpark that first opened as Jacobs Field in 1994.
“I’m just trying to look down the road for Cleveland’s protection and for the fans' protection,” DeWine told Naymik in July, adding at the time that "Negotiations are going well."
Sources tell 3News that the governor offered to seek $30 million to be doled out over 15 years and that negotiations have included two five-year extensions, which could keep the team here for a total of 25 years.
Ohio lawmakers would have to approve any taxpayer money directed to the deal, while money from the state would only be a small portion of public dollars that would likely be tied to the potential major renovation that the Dolan family is seeking.
The Indians' lease announcement comes on the heels of the team announcing last month that it will be renamed the Cleveland Guardians at the end of the 2021 season.
