Seattle Mariners reveal US$30m planned revamp of T-Mobile Park for 2020

Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners have unveiled plans for US$29.8m’s worth of restorations that will give the 20-year-old ballpark a major facelift and deliver an enhanced fan experience, as reported by MLB’s Daniel Kramer.

The projects are part of a 10-year, US$280m commitment to maintain and improve the ballpark as part of the Mariners’ 25-year lease that began this year with the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities (PFD) district. The agreement obligates the Mariners to pay a minimum of US$600m for ballpark maintenance, operations, capital upgrades and fan improvements over the next 25 years.

Mariners President and CEO Kevin Mather said of the agreement with the PFD and T-Mobile:

Fans have come to expect a great experience at this ballpark and we have made a commitment to invest substantial Club revenues over the next 25-years to make sure that continues. This partnership with T-Mobile will help us meet that obligation so that fans will have a first-class experience at T-Mobile Park for decades to come.

At the end of the new lease agreement, the total investment of Mariners’ revenues into the publicly-owned ballpark since 1999 will add up to over US$1bn.

In relation to the upgrades at T-Mobile Park, here are some of the most tangible upgrades that fans will see by Opening Day:

Expansion of the T-Mobile ‘Pen

The ‘Pen – the standing-room area that stretches from center to left field and overlooks both bullpens – will expand to include more concessions as part of an overhaul to the left-field gate, which will remove a ticket office and add 15 additional entry points to assuage congestion and allow quicker access to the ‘Pen. The area will also add TVs that will screen the game.

Mariners Senior VP of Ballpark Operations, Trevor Gooby, said:

The ‘Pen is obviously one of our most popular areas here at the ballpark, and so we really want to get people into it faster and increase the capacity of that, so this solves both of those problems.

Part of the ‘Pen’s allure is its casual setting, which offers unobstructed views at field level – all included in a general admission ticket. Gooby said that the Mariners are still determining which concessions will be added. The ‘Pen mostly offers Seattle-specific dining and beverage options.

Lookout Landing’s new rooftop bar

Mirroring the likes of Coors Field and others, T-Mobile Park will add a rooftop bar in the highest Northwest point of the 300 level that will fill in Lookout Landing. The area will be patterned to a casual backyard, with bench seating and picnic tables – all while retaining the sweeping views of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The space will be available for group sales and will be open to all fans when it’s not in use for groups.

Gooby said:

That’s one thing that we’ve noticed is that fans want these gathering spaces. They’re looking for spaces obviously to watch the game, but also just to hang out with their friends, socialize, maybe watch TV, listen to a DJ, do different things like that, and so that’s really a great trend that we’re seeing [in MLB], and we want to make sure that we’re giving our fans the experiences that they’re asking for.

US$20.56m in 49 infrastructure improvements

• $7 million to replace the ballpark’s original sound system
• $3.14 million in miscellaneous painting, equipment, concrete and fixture improvements
• $2 million to refurbish roughly eight axles as part of a roof wheel replacement, which is in phase five
• $1.6 million to replace the point-of-sale system at concession stands
• $1 million in roof access safety
• $600,000 in Americans with Disabilities Act fan improvements