Financing suspended for a Triple-A stadium in San Antonio; moving plan for Colorado Springs in doubt

The hope of escaping Colorado Springs in 2018 just took a major hit.

The city of San Antonio has decided not to include any funding for a Triple-A ballpark in their budget for 2017 or the bond program. What that means is that there’s no chance of breaking ground on the stadium in 2017, and an opening date of 2019 will be impossible. While this doesn’t kill the possibility of a move to San Antonio, it extends the timeline indefinitely for now.

This also eliminates a clear path that the Brewers could have had out of Colorado Springs (at least at the Triple-A level). While the Brewers would not have moved with the franchise to San Antonio (rumors were that Texas would become the new affiliate in this scenario), the move would have created an opening at another Triple-A affiliate (most likely Fresno) that the Brewers could have taken. However, if Colorado Springs stays where it is, then there’s no other clear affiliation changes that could happen, meaning no guarantee of a path out of Colorado Springs in 2018.

The current PDC between Colorado Springs and the Brewers is about to expire, but there are only a few openings at the Triple-A level right now, and all are expected to be renewed with their current team. The Brewers will likely renew with Colorado Springs for two years in the near future (whether it’s an official contract or just an automatic renewal), and if the team does not move, could be working together for a long time.