Mesa OKs spring training deal with Cubs
An agreement that would help keep the Chicago Cubs' spring training home in Arizona cleared a hurdle Monday, winning approval from city officials in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. Under the deal, Mesa would build an $84 million stadium and training facility for the Cubs, and the team would stay in Arizona for at least another 25 years. State lawmakers still need to approve legislation to finance and build the stadium, and Mesa voters will need to approve it in November. But city officials see those as minor hurdles.
"The Cubs, they have a 50-year history with the city," Mesa City Manager Chris Brady said. "Everyone knows them and we're pretty optimistic we'll get the support."The Cubs also must decide to give Mesa exclusive negotiating rights by the end of the week for the deal to move forward, Brady said. City officials in Naples, Fla., are trying to lure the Cubs away from Mesa, where the team first trained in 1952 and has played almost every spring since.
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