Padres Now Closer to Playing in Peoria : Baseball: Team signs letter of intent to move to Phoenix suburb.

The Padres set the stage for breaking their 23-year relationship with Yuma, Ariz., on Wednesday by signing a letter of intent with the city of Peoria, Ariz., for the construction of a stadium and a spring training complex.

The Padres will share the facility with the Seattle Mariners beginning in 1994.

The Padres said they intend to sign a 20-year agreement with Peoria, a bedroom community about 20 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, that would run from 1994 through 2013.

The Maricopa County Stadium Authority board of directors is expected to vote on the funding for the facility next week and, sources say, approval is expected now that the directors have a signed letter of intent from the Padres.

The stadium authority has the power to allocate tax revenues generated from rental car contracts for the construction of spring training facilities. Arizona officials regard the tax monies as a good investment in generating tourism.

Seattle announced Wednesday that it will hold spring training in Peoria in 1993 but will play all exhibition games on the road because construction of a Peoria stadium will not be complete until 1994. The Mariners’ spring training situation has been held up pending the sale of the club, which was finalized last month.

According to Eric J. Anderson, a policy adviser in the Maricopa County manager’s office, the Mariners are expected to complete a long-term lease with Peoria within six months.

Padre officials had sought a way to get closer to the other five major league teams that train in Arizona, all in the Phoenix area. Each year, the Padres must leave Yuma for 10 days to two weeks to train in Phoenix.

“We are excited about the prospect of centralizing out spring training base in the Phoenix area,” Padre General Manager Joe McIlvaine said in a statement. “From a baseball standpoint, it gives us the opportunity to have our major league and minor league clubs within close proximity to the other six organizations that train in the Phoenix area.”

A couple of Padres, though, expressed disappointment on Wednesday about leaving Yuma.

“I’d like to stay in Yuma,” Tony Gwynn said. “Play some games there, at least. But it’s out of my hands. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.”

Said Andy Benes: “I like Yuma. It’s a nice facility. The hotel is nice, it’s real close, and it’s a nice place for the kids to play. I have absolutely no complaints about having spring training there.”

Yumans, though, expressed disappointment at what the decision they hoped would not come but feared was inevitable.

“We’re sad, we’re disappointed,” said Howard Blitz, president of the group that hosts the Padres each spring, the Caballeros de Yuma. “We’re sorry.

“We’re interested in having major league baseball in Yuma. We’re going to miss having major league baseball in Yuma. It was kind of neat to have major league baseball in Yuma.

“We’re willing and able to talk to anybody. We have the facilities.”

McIlvaine, while wanting to get closer to the Phoenix area, also expressed his gratitude to Yuma.

“Yuma holds a special place in the hearts of the Padres and their fans, due to the long relationship they have enjoyed,” McIlvaine said. “The facilities at Yuma have always been top-flight and the people and the city have been most cooperative and friendly.

“We want to thank them for all the kindnesses that have been accorded the Padres over the past 23 years. Unfortunately, one problem that the people of Yuma could not overcome was the 3 1/2-hour driving distance from Yuma to the other teams around Phoenix.”

Times San Diego Business Editor Chris Kraul contributed to this story.