Modesto Nuts poised to play at least one more season at John Thurman Field
The Modesto Nuts are staying at John Thurman Field for at least one more season.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved keeping the Nuts at city-owned Thurman Field through Sept. 30, 2025, as well as authorizing City Manager Joe Lopez to complete the short-term deal with the Seattle Mariners, which owns the Class A minor league Nuts.
The one-year extension gives Modesto and the Mariners time to reach a long-term deal for the Nuts to continue to play at John Thurman. But the extension states there is an April 1, 2025, deadline to reach a deal, and if one is not reached, the Nuts would leave Modesto by Oct. 1, 2025.
Tuesday’s council vote comes after the Mariners and Modesto announced July 10 that this would be the Nuts’ final season at John Thurman because they could not agree on a long-term lease extension.
The sticking point appeared to be $32 million in Major League Baseball-mandated improvements to the ballpark, according to a talking-points memo Lopez provided council members.
The memo also said the city had spent $3 million since 2018 to operate John Thurman, but the Nuts will pay the cost of operating it during the one-year lease extension.
Nuts General Manager Veronica Hernandez said in an interview after Tuesday’s council meeting that the Seattle Mariners ownership group “always wanted to stay in Modesto” and had offered to pay the $32 million to upgrade John Thurman.
So why did the negotiations fall apart in July?
Hernandez answered by saying she was focused on moving forward and was grateful that negotiations had resumed. She had thanked council members and city staff earlier during the council meeting.
Councilman gets involved
Modesto spokeswoman Sonya Severo provided this statement Wednesday: “If the Modesto Nuts are willing to invest in John Thurman Field, the city of Modesto is certainly open to consider a long-term lease agreement. The city’s interest has always been to keep the team in Modesto for the long term.”
Severo declined to say more because of ongoing negotiations.
Negotiations recently resumed after former Riverbank mayor and communications consultant Virginia Madueno asked Modesto Councilman Nick Bavaro whether the city would be interested in restarting the talks.
The Mariners retained Madueno to help restart negotiations. In an interview, she thanked Bavaro for his willingness to listen and meet with the Nuts general manager.
Bavaro said in an interview that he did not take part in the negotiations and relayed Madueno’s request to the city manager, who he said was open to resuming talks.
More than a dozen people spoke at Tuesday’s meeting in support of keeping the Nuts in Modesto. They talked about making friends at the ballpark as well as lifelong memories between fathers and sons. Speakers said a Nuts game is affordable fun for a family. (Hernandez said a family of four could spend $40 on parking, tickets and food.)
Nuts civic involvement
And speakers talked about how the Nuts are part of the community and how much they give back.
Hernandez told council members that civic involvement includes supporting and raising money for nonprofits as well as teaming up with schools to promote reading, health and wellness, and the importance of kids attending and graduating from school.
Hernandez confirmed in an interview that the cost of bringing John Thurman Field up to Major League Baseball standards is $32 million.
The improvements focus on improving the players’ experience and include larger clubhouses for home and visiting teams, better training facilities, brighter stadium lighting, separate facilities for women and separate food preparation and dining areas.
Hernandez said 2025 is the deadline to have a plan in place for the improvements.
MLB took over the minor leagues in February 2021 and in addition to the facility improvements it has taken such other steps to improve the players’ experience as increasing pay and reducing travel.
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 12:52 PM.
