‘Play ball’: Irvine ready to bring minor league baseball to Great Park
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Irvine residents are already anticipating the first pitch for a team they can call their own, after city leaderssigned off on a deal this week to bring a professional baseball team to town.
The City Council on Tuesday approved a five-year agreement with Innovation Baseball Partners, LLC to become the non-exclusive, primary tenant of the Great Park Championship Baseball Stadium.
Innovation Baseball Partners plans to form an expansion team to compete in the Pioneer Baseball League, which partners with Major League Baseball. The group also owns and operates multiple minor league baseball teams, including the Long Beach Coast, Oakland Ballers and Yuba-Sutter Freebirds.
“It’s very exciting to have that up close and intimate relationship with the game,” resident Doug Elliott said during the public hearing. “It’s generally less expensive than Major League ball, by quite a bit, and I’m hoping the ticket prices can be set at a level that will reflect that.
“Certainly, I could see myself going to a number of games and, maybe, even being a season ticket holder, if the price is right. I’m really looking forward to that opportunity.”
The Great Park Board, comprised of the city council’s members, reviewed the contract Tuesday, unanimously supporting a recommendation to have the city manager execute the multi-year facility use and sponsorship agreement. The contract, which includes an option for a five-year extension, was approved on the consent calendar in the regular council meeting.
“Orange County is a community where baseball should thrive, and Great Park gives us the chance to build something special,” Paul Freedman, a co-founder of Innovation Baseball Partners, said in a statement released after the vote. “If we do this right, people won’t just come for the baseball. They’ll come because it’s one of the best ways to spend an evening with family and friends, and they’ll be able to do it often.”
While multiple councilmembers indicated they would like to see the contract go through the community services and finance commissions for review, there were concerns that delays in the process would put the 2027 season at risk.
New minor league baseball team in Irvine plans to offer affordable fun and isn’t worried about competing with the nearby bargain friendly Angels.
Had the item been sent to the commissions, it would not have returned to the Great Park Board until Sept. 22, eliminating the opportunity to participate in the upcoming season, city staff said.
“If we were to delay until mid-September, we would lose the opportunity to build a team and launch it for the 2027 season,” Innovation Baseball Partners co-founder Jamie Rosenberg said at the meeting. “There’s so much that we need to do in terms of building our presence in the community, hiring our staff, hiring our coaches, partnering with local vendors — all of the things that we want to do to do this well — we would miss the window. Not to mention getting on the league schedule for next year, we would miss the window with that sort of delay.”
Long Beach Coast games have charged between $10 and $15 for bleacher seats and from $30 to $35 for premium seats, Rosenberg said.
The agreement allows Innovation Baseball Partners to seek advertising partners and sponsorships, subject to city approval. The city would receive 15% of the gross revenue.
Councilmember Betty Martinez Franco pushed for a 20% cut for Irvine during the discussion.
“I think we are at the point in the city that, facing a budget deficit, we need to really go ahead and negotiate the best deal that we can get with every contract that we have,” Martinez Franco said.
Innovation Baseball Partners can also seek a naming rights partner for the stadium. The city would take in 50% of the net revenue from such an agreement.
“I think the idea of losing the ’27 season, that’s nuts,” Mayor Larry Agran said. “It’s basically setting you back a whole year. It sets back the whole financial trajectory.”
Factoring in facility use and sponsorship fees, the city estimates it could generate $368,000 in annual revenue, according to a staff report.
Community groups and athletic teams will continue to have access to the stadium. Innovation Baseball Partners will also be required to provide at least $25,000 in community benefit initiatives, which could include youth baseball clinics, charitable events, and donated tickets.
“No contract is going to be perfect,” Vice Mayor James Mai said. “If we consistently negotiate it to a fine detail, it could be endless ... When you have multiple cooks in the kitchen, your recipe can never be perfect for everyone, and it could just delay the dinner, and I don’t want to delay that dinner. I want to play ball here, so let’s play ball.”
Great Park in Irvine already hosts a professional sports team in Orange County Soccer Club, which entered the weekend atop the Western Conference in the USL Championship standings.
