Padres Near Agreement With Yuma

The Padres are close to reaching an agreement with Yuma, Ariz., officials that will extend their spring training lease through at least 1992, and perhaps 1993, Padre President Dick Freeman said Thursday.

“We’re talking to Yuma about a one- or two-year extension,” Freeman said. “It’s something we’d like to have done before the start of spring training. They don’t want to have a situation where they’re wondering whether they’ll have a team in 1992 or not.”

The Padres’ current lease with Yuma expires in April after the upcoming spring training. Yet, the Padres refuse to sign a long-term lease with Yuma, Freeman said, primarily because of the instability of the Cactus League. There are only eight teams that train in Arizona, and the Cleveland Indians already have announced plans to move to Florida in 1993, and the Angels also are considering a move.

“It’s just not a real good time for us to make a nine- or 10-year commitment,” Freeman said. “We obviously would like to stay in Arizona, but we need teams to play.”

The Padres, at the expiration of their next lease with Yuma, also are considering the possibility of moving their spring-training site to another Arizona location. They have had preliminary negotiations with officials from Glendale, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb, discussing a deal in which the Padres would receive land to develop.

“Those (talks) are in very preliminary stages,” Freeman said. “We have told them what kind of facilities we’d want, but that’s been about the extent of it. That’s a long ways away.”