What would a new Arizona Diamondbacks stadium look like?

Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall last week explained to Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta why discussions with Maricopa County have turned contentious regarding lease extension talks for the team at the county-owned Chase Field.

That has since inspired more conversations about how the D-backs could potentially play baseball elsewhere in the state.

So what would the D-backs want out of a new stadium?

Although Hall said it’s still the team’s goal to stay at its current downtown Phoenix home, he told KTAR News’ 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos about the theoretical on Monday.

Not only did it sound like the D-backs would change a lot if they were building from the ground up, but it sounded like something they have thought a lot about already.

“Capacity alone. … We’re way too large,” Hall said. “You probably want to be around 36-to-38 thousand, that’s one thing. We’re always going to want to have some sort of a roof here because it is so hot. We want to make sure it’s retractable. We got beautiful months in April and May and you get into June a little bit and you hope in September you can. Aside from that, today it’s premium areas and it’s also a lot of standing room areas. Because fans engage differently, they take in entertainment differently. Some want to come and stand, they want to be in a bar — they don’t necessarily want to have 50,000 fixed seats like you used to see in the old ballparks.

“(In) addition to that, you want to have 365 days a year of activation. You want to have hotels, you want to have retail, you want to have restaurants, so I think you’ll see that now where it’s not just about the ball games. And now, you have more and more non-baseball events as well. It all works together.”

What does a dream ballpark look like for Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall?

FULL SEGMENT: https://t.co/00VXFmSJeM pic.twitter.com/DDgy9h64YB

— Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on KTAR News 92.3 (@OutspokenKTAR) September 24, 2024

Some of what Hall is referencing has an example right down the street with what Footprint Center has changed in its recent renovations.

A large sports bar owns the center of the main pavilion, while multiple bars and club areas in view of the court exist on corners of the building.

There’s also other areas like a food court in the upper deck that take on that inspiration.

Who is in charge of Chase Field stadium maintenance: The Diamondbacks or Maricopa County?

The Diamondbacks have maintenance and operating rights for Chase Field even though the county owns it, helping the team pay for updates through non-baseball events they book.

But Hall admitted there is sometimes a gray area about whether the team or county is in charge of renovations, given the project.

“If you have to completely overhaul the HVAC system, which is a very antiquated system, it’s this cold-chill system that’s really air-conditioning many, many if not most of the buildings downtown. If that needs to be replaced, whose (project and cost) is that?” Hall said. “What is maintenance? Is maintenance fixing it or making sure it’s cool?

“We can still do a better job improving it … we’re tinkering, we’re finding out ways. That’s the confusion.”

This offseason, Hall said the team is expecting to fix the retractable roof that cannot be opened or closed with fans in the building.

Hall said the organization has identified needs that would amount to somewhere close to a half-billion dollars in renovations.

The D-backs’ lease agreement with the county ends in 2027. In a letter to Maricopa County leaders, he previously called a counteroffer from the county “extremely offensive” because it asked for about $200 million of a commitment before being allowed to zone for mixed-use of hotels, retail and restaurants.

“It’s a tough situation, really for both,” Hall said. “Not just for us, but for (the county) too. Not sure they want to be in the business of owning a stadium. They don’t have a capability to invest a lot of money in the stadium. They can’t just go out and raise sales taxes to be here. We are trying to get creative.”

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