Emeralds ownership wants to build a stadium in Medford, Oregon.
When we last left Eugene, Oregon, Minor League Baseball’s Eugene Emeralds’ ownership group put out a statement. “After four years of extensive efforts to secure a long-term home in Eugene, the Eugene Emeralds have reached a difficult conclusion: the future of professional baseball in the Emerald Valley is coming to a certain end. The organization has explored multiple options, including a proposed stadium at the Lane County Fairgrounds and potential renovations to PK Park.” It would be goodbye Eugene sometime in the future and hello to another town. That other town could be Medford, Oregon. Emeralds’ ownership has pitched the idea of building a stadium, that could cost $90 million, in Medford. Emeralds’ ownership more than likely won’t pick up the entire tab, Medford would have to kick in public money.
The Eugene Emeralds baseball team is a High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants organization. The partnership began in 2021. That year, 2021, Major League Baseball reorganized the minor leagues. MLB created an entity called the Professional Development League and cut the number of minor league teams affiliated with MLB to 120. MLB also created a new set of rules for working conditions and team facilities and gave local owners and municipalities four years to either renovate or build new stadiums in that time frame or have a deal in place for a new or renovated facility. The Emeralds ownership and local politicians came up with a plan for a new facility and sent the proposal out for a vote. Eugene residents in May 2024 said no to allocating $15 million in public funding to help pay for the stadium. Emeralds’ ownership wants Medford politicians to make a stadium decision as soon as possible but finding local funding may be a problem for a small community of 85,000 people in an uncertain financial market.
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