Kansas City may be back in the hunt.
The 2026 Major League Baseball season has gotten off to a bad start for the owner of the Kansas City Royals franchise John Sherman. The Royals’ business owner had hoped to have a plan in place to build a downtown Kansas City stadium by now but nothing has materialized. Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri politicians are hoping that they can put together a financial deal at some Kansas City site that would get Sherman to say yes. Sherman has eliminated Overland Park, Kansas as a possible location but a financial package by Kansas politicians expired on December 31st, 2025 and Kansas politicians are in no rush to work with Sherman’s negotiators and come up with a new financial package. Clay County, Missouri political leaders announced that Royals ownership did not accept the county’s latest offer to put a question to voters in April. The Clay County politicians have left the door open to continue negotiations. The Clay County Commission said in a statement that it provided the Royals with what it believes to be a “strong and competitive proposal” that would have supported the Royals and created a dining and entertainment district, all while looking out for Clay County taxpayers.
Sherman’s problem began in April 2004 when Jackson County voters said no to extending a sales tax that would have funded a new Royals baseball park and renovated the National Football League Kansas City Chiefs’ franchise’s home stadium. Sherman’s lease to use the Jackson County ballpark does not end until the final out of the 2031 season is recorded. He has time to get a deal done. Sherman’s stadium problem might impact MLB’s expansion plans. MLB apparently will not expand until all stadium issues are addressed and that includes the Tampa Bay market along with Chicago where White Sox business owner Jerry Reinsdorf wants a new stadium.
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