The plan to add public funding to help build a new downtown stadium for the Kansas City Royals not only was defeated in the spring elections. It was soundly demolished. 

A solid 58% of Jackson County voters chose “No” as to whether a sales tax bonus should be extended for an additional 40 years to fund a $1 billion ballpark for the Royals, as well as update the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Park. 

“We will take some time to reflect and process the results,” Royals owner John Sherman said the night of the defeat. 

What will the Royals do now, try again with a revised plan, or begin the process of relocation? Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson breaks down the situation and reveals his MLB odds for the Royals’ future home. 

Royals Relocation Odds (2030)

This market is for entertainment purposes only and has been created by the Bookies.com team. It is not currently available on betting apps. Percentages will not add up to 100% most time because these are designed to simulate odds a sportsbook would set.

Royals' Potential Future Home

There are still six years left on the lease between the Royals and Kauffman Stadium, the home spot of the team since 1973. 

Ownership has announced intentions to have a new home stadium in place in 2030. It might not be in KC proper. The team has clashed with Jackson County executives and other local groups about putting a new stadium in town. Ultimately, voters chose that side as well, putting the Royals’ local hopes in question. 

For its part, the Royals’ plans changed as the process drew out, including cutting back on housing additions and a question about where cars would be parked. 

But some of the possible new locations aren’t very far.  North Kansas City is adjacent to Kansas City, but with a distinct difference. The city is just on the other side of the Missouri River, and also in Clay County – a county different than the one that just shot down the Royals’ downtown hopes. 

Marny Sherman, wife of owner John Sherman, responded to a Facebook post suggesting that neither the Royals nor the Chiefs will work with Jackson County officials again, and Missouri is a better bet to host the Royals in the future – and Chiefs. 

Venturing to a different county in the state of Kansas is also a possibility. That, and other KC-area locales, leads The Field. 

Sherman, the owner, made his billions mostly in propane with a company based in Kansas City. But prior to that, he controlled a company in Houston, was born in Japan, and went to college in Canada. He was, at one point, a minority owner of the Cleveland Indians. In other words, he may not be totally tied down to Kansas City. 

That opens up possibilities of relocation, especially to the several metro areas hungry and motivated to add baseball to its culture. 

Now that Las Vegas officially has the A’s, Nashville becomes the logical next step for an MLB franchise to emerge. It is already an entertainment destination and is perhaps the most organized in terms of adding MLB in the near future. 

Carolina Hurricanes owner and TopGolf investor Tom Dundon has expressed a strong interest in bringing an MLB team to his home state of North Carolina. He’d prefer Raleigh over Charlotte and has a grand vision for the project – giving the area a leg up on the nearby Queen City. 

Charlotte is one of the nation’s fastest-growing areas, especially from a business perspective, something that still could entice Sherman and MLB. It’s currently the largest metro area in the nation without an MLB team. 

Salt Lake City and Portland have expressed interest in gaining MLB sooner than later. SLC was just named the new home of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, but its growing trajectory in terms of population and economy, compared to Portland, which is dramatically shrinking, give SLC an edge. 

The Field also includes potential MLB-worthy cities, if it can get a proper group together in the next few years. That includes Louisville, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Orlando (if the Rays relocate), Mexico City and Monterrey.