Diamondbacks Have Reportedly Explored Vancouver Amid Relocation Conversations

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traveled up to Canada to consider the possibility of a relocation, according to The Athletic's Sean Fitz-Gerald. The team has reportedly eyed B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver as a potential new, temporary home if Chase Field becomes unfit to play in amid the ongoing renovations.

The Diamondbacks reported back in 2016 that the stadium would require around $8 million in repairs. According to the Republic, by the end of 2018, they had spent only $150,000. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors passed an agreement in May of 2018 that would allow the Diamondbacks to pursue new locations in exchange for dropping their demands for $187 million in county repair money.

While the deal gave the Diamondbacks an out, it also dropped any pressure to repair the stadium. As such, the repairs haven't been fully managed. With concerns that the stadium could face an emergency closing due to structural damage, the visit this week provides one possibility for an alternative should the team be forced to relocate temporarily from Phoenix.

BC Place Stadium can seat as many as 55,000 people, and previously hosted the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The stadium hasn't hosted a baseball game since 1994. Vancouver is the second Canadian city to be examined for such a deal with an MLB team after the Tampa Bay Rays considered a unique deal to possibly split time between Tampa and Montreal.