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Worcester continues push for Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate

By Logan Jakubajtys

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: Larry Lucchino, former president of the Boston Red Sox, gestures as he talks to the media before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on September 22, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: Larry Lucchino, former president of the Boston Red Sox, gestures as he talks to the media before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on September 22, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty is making a strong push to lure the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate away from Rhode Island.

The Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate right now resides in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty is hoping the team chooses to move away from Pawtucket and into his city.

Petty says he will ask the Worcester City Council to direct the city manager to do all that he can to land the team.

The PawSox have had trouble in Pawtucket securing funds for a new stadium.

"“The City Council does hereby support in principle the relocation of the Red Sox Triple-A baseball team to Worcester including building a stadium to accommodate this team and further, request the City Manager do all that is reasonably in his power to facilitate this move,” Mr. Petty wrote."

The lease on the PawSox current home, McCoy Stadium, ends in 2020. The Red Sox have already expressed their interest in moving on from McCoy, so the thought of them moving away is not entirely ridiculous. So far, they have not been able to reach a deal with local officials to finance a new ballpark.

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PawSox co-owner Larry Lucchino has made a few visits to Worcester and has looked at the location for a possible stadium.

The Canal District in Worcester is the favorite site in the city to land the Triple-A team. The team toured with Mayor Petty, as well as a stadium architect. The same architect that has worked on many of the recent updates to Boston’s Fenway Park, Janet Marie Smith. She is reportedly going to be involved in any discussions to move the team, and would likely be the main architect behind a new stadium’s design.

Providence and Springfield are also in on the “bidding” to lure the PawSox away from Pawtucket. All talks are in early stages, and we may be waiting another year or more before we actually learn of a move.

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The Boston Red Sox have one of the closest Triple-A affiliates to their MLB club as Pawtucket is just an hour drive away from Fenway Park. Worcester and Providence would keep the commute to the majors at about an hour, while a move to Springfield pushes it to an hour and a half. Still, the Red Sox would quickly and easily be able to move players from Triple-A to the majors.

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