Eugene Emeralds’ league standing at stake due to stadium issues and likely to force move

By NATHAN WILK/KLCC News

EUGENE — The Eugene Emeralds kick off their 2025 season in April, but the team’s manager says the clock is ticking on their time in Eugene.

The Ems play their home games at the University of Oregon’s PK Park. But that stadium doesn’t meet Major League Baseball’s new standards for minor league facilities, which take effect this season. Ems General Manager Allan Benavides said that leaves his team’s affiliation with the San Francisco Giants at risk.

“We will get a letter, and we will be out of compliance,” said Benavides. ”We’re desperately looking to remedy that situation as fast as we can.”

Benavides said the team has no options to stay in Eugene, after city voters declined to help fund a new stadium last year. He’s also previously said that renovating PK Park to meet MLB standards isn’t feasible.

However, Benavides said he’s in talks with other communities about building a new stadium elsewhere in the region. Now, the team is looking to Medford as a possibility.

Benavides presented to the Medford Parks and Recreation Commission in February. He said the team is now seeking a statement of interest from the city. and more information about how the project could be funded.

The proposed stadium for Eugene would have cost around $90 million, not including updates for inflation. The project attracted federal, state and private funding at the time.

Benavides said while a move to Medford or another community could take several years, the Ems must provide Major League Baseball with a plan to get into compliance as soon as possible.

“We need to tell Major League Baseball, look, we’ve got these other pieces in place,” said Benavides, “and we think we can open this facility by 2027, 2028, 2029.”

If the relocation fails, the Ems could become the second team in the Willamette Valley to lose its Giants affiliation this decade.

In 2020, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes were excluded from the Northwest League during a restructuring. The team has continued to play in an independent league that lacks affiliation with a Major League club.

• This story originally appeared on KLCC, a nonprofit public radio station in Eugene and a news partner of Lincoln Chronicle.