Washington Baseball Sets up Shop in D.C.

By Mike Hume

As the Washington, D.C. City Council prepares to vote on the financing package for the proposed baseball stadium for the former Montreal Expos, the team’s front office is facing the unenviable task of maintaining the daily off-season operations, while preparing to begin play at RFK Stadium next spring.

“We’ve been running fast and hard at a harried pace, but we’re getting a lot accomplished,” Tony Tavares, president of the to-be-named Washington baseball team, said in a conference call Tuesday. “It’s been a very productive week.”

While Tavares hopes to have many details, including signing a general manager and adopting a new team name, taken care of shortly after the World Series, logistical tasks have dominated the organization’s agenda since they’ve officially relocated to the District, operating out of a hotel room in the Washington Hilton.

Tuesday, Taveres said the team is rapidly moving forward with radio broadcast rights and setting up ticket sales. Tavares stated Tuesday afternoon that he hopes to have a “handshake agreement” with either Tickets.com or Ticketmaster by the end of this week. As soon as that deal is consummated, the team will begin taking names and distributing information for season ticket packages, incorporating the names already submitted to the Washington Baseball Club, one of the ownership groups bidding on the Washington team. The Washington Baseball Club has been allowing fans to sign up for information on their website www.baseballindc.com.

Estimating the seating capacity for the remodeled stadium at about 44,000, Tavares believes the average ticket price should come in somewhere between $24-$26.

Several radio stations have already inquired about the team’s broadcast rights and Tavares, who has hired a consultant to help with negotiations, believes that deal will be completed in seven to 10 days. Television rights will likely not be sorted out until the proposed regional sports network first put forward by Commissioner Bud Selig to placate Orioles owner Peter Angelos is finalized.

The challenge of renovating RFK Stadium looms on the horizon for the team. Following the conclusion of the D.C. United’s season, construction crews will begin altering the field to accommodate baseball. The proposal before the D.C. City Council allots $13 million for the renovations, Tavares does not believe there is any danger that costs will surpass that figure.

“We have an ‘A’ list of stuff that must get done,” including backstops, foul poles and locker rooms, “And we have a wish list of things that we’d like to do,” Tavares said. “The stadium is in good shape for its age. While it doesn’t have the amenities of newer stadiums, it is certainly functional for concessions, novelty merchandise and parking is ample.”

Tavares says the renovations will adhere to the configuration used for baseball in the 1970’s, rather than that used when an Expos exhibition game was played at RFK in 1999. The field dimensions when the team left in 1971 placed the outfield fence at 335 feet down the foul lines, 385 in the power alleys and 410 to center field. The backstop would be only 60 feet from home plate, a relatively short distance by modern standards.

While logistical elements of relocation have taken up the majority of the front office’s time, the team must also deal with the traditional off-season activities of re-signing and signing free agents, including manager Frank Robinson whose contract expires following the World Series and hiring a general manager to replace Omar Minaya who departed to take the GM post with the New York Mets.

Tavares wants to fill the general managerial post soon, and hopes to have that situation finalized following the World Series. News outlets have speculated that possible candidates for the position include former Orioles GM Pat Gillick, former Yankees GM Bob Watson, and even current Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

Tavares has said that he will not extend Robinson’s contract until after the team has hired a general manager. “I’d like to have a general manager involved very early in the process. I’m uncomfortable with the situation right now and as anxious as you [the media] are to hear a decision, the coaches are even more anxious,” Tavares said. If the coaches have not received new offers before their current contracts expire, the team will continue paying their salaries until the matter is resolved, with any raises from the team applied retroactively.

While the GM post remains vacant, Assistant GM Tony Siegle will handle player personnel matters and has already been in contact and made offers to those free agents on the current roster who the team wants to retain. Siegle is currently preparing for arbitration hearings for eligible players.

While the team can address issues concerning its current roster, it will have to wait to pursue other free agents until an ownership group finally purchases the team. Currently groups are bidding on the franchise owned by the 29 other Major League owners. Potential buyers will have until Nov. 1 to make their bids on the team. The owners are reportedly hoping to collect more than $300 million for the team’s rights. After examining the bidder’s financial records, Major League Baseball hopes to announce the winning bid by mid-December.