10 more years of Dust Devils baseball. $5M in changes coming to Gesa Stadium
Here’s something for Tri-City baseball fans to get excited about: Ten more years of Dust Devils baseball and millions of dollars in stadium upgrades for Gesa Stadium.
That’s according to a lease renewal for the 30-year-old, city-owned facility that’s been approved by the Pasco City Council and is expected to be signed in the coming weeks.
Gesa Stadium, at 6200 Burden Boulevard in Pasco, opened in 1995 as Tri-City Stadium with the Tri-City Posse. The team was one of the eight original members of the new independent Western Baseball League.
Then, the Northwest League with its affiliation with Major League Baseball arrived in 2001. And the Tri-City Dust Devils franchise has called the 3,600-seat ballpark home for more than two decades.
Because the lease is pending approval, officials with Pasco and the Dust Devils declined to comment on the deal. The current lease is set to expire at the end of 2023.
Major League Baseball is requiring a number of improvements at Gesa Stadium be made by 2025 to keep the High-A affiliate in Pasco.
The city is investing $1.9 million to upgrade the facility’s locker rooms, cafeteria, manager and office spaces. Those projects will be finished in time for the start of spring baseball in 2024.
The city also received a $3 million grant from the state to make other MLB-required improvements, including:
- Upgrading the field lighting
- Creating a women’s locker room
- Installing 24/7 video surveillance
- Expanding and covering the batting cage
- Replacing the outfield sod
- Adding a new padded outfield wall
- Expanding dugout benches
- Expanding the outfield batters eye
- Increasing the height on foul poles
The minor league franchise also plans to pitch in $330,000 for the construction of a new climate-controlled weight room at the ballpark.
The Dust Devils will pay Pasco about $36,000 in rent next year to lease the ballpark, according to the lease. The franchise’s annual rent will rise to nearly $40,000 by 2033.
The Dust Devils were originally the Portland Rockies team and were moved to the Tri-Cities when that city was getting aTriple-A baseball franchise.
The Tri-Cities team remained affiliated with the Colorado Rockies and then the San Diego Padres before affiliating with the Los Angeles Angels three years ago.
This story was originally published November 1, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
