There is a baseball plan, and a business plan, and the ultimate plan is for both plans work together making the entire organization stronger. News that the Chicago Cubs can officially bid out Wrigley Field for an All Star game is proof that both plans are coming together.
Earlier in the season, CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine reported that Wrigley Field is under consideration for the 2020 All Star game. This more recent news by Levine tells us it is very likely to happen.
Rob Manfred said the Cubs can apply for All Star game and be considered now . Last one at Wrigley 1990
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) November 10, 2015
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is certainly behind the idea of the Midsummer Classic being held at Wrigley, which would be the first since 1990.
“I am not going to get into any particular year,” Manfred said in response to a question on when Wrigley would be the choice. “I will say that the interest in getting an All-Star Game is strong as it has ever been, and I have been around the game 20-something years. Chicago certainly would be a great venue for us.”
You might ask yourself, why can’t the Cubs host an All Star game? It has to do with MLB selective process. Typically a team that builds a new stadium or a team that hasn’t been selected in a long time generally wins the nominations for the next All Star game. There are instances in which teams could host multiple All Star games before another team is able to host it again, hence why the Cubs haven’t hosted and All Star Game in 25 years.
Don’t feel too bad for the Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t hosted an All Star game since 1980, and after the 2017 season the Tampa Bay Rays will be the only team in MLB to have never hosted in All Star Game.
Coming back to the Cubs big for an All Star game, Manfred was convinced that the Wrigley Field renovations didn’t have to be completed for the Cubs to enter the bidding process.
“We’re committed out pretty good- ’17 and ’18,” Manfred said. “But I don’t think the renovation needs to be complete to consider Wrigley for a possible All Star Game. It’s been a long time. It’s an iconic location. It’s a question of how far out we want to be committed right now.”
The earliest the Cubs can host an All Star game is the 2019, however Wrigley’s renovations aren’t scheduled to be completed until the completion of that year. 2020 season as the most likely season for the Cubs to host the Midsummer Classic.
