KC T-Bones still finalizing lease deal, looking ahead to 2021 after lost 2020 season

On July 3, the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball will begin playing a 60-game season. Six of its 12 league teams will be participating.

But not the Kansas City T-Bones.

Teams for the abbreviated 2020 season were chosen “based on cities allowing for fans in attendance at stadiums, geography, and the COVID-19 restrictions that persist in certain American Association cities,” per a June 12 statement from the league.

Mark Brandmeyer, the T-Bones’ owner since January, said that the team still has restrictions on attendance, per local government’s guidelines, while the other three stadiums don’t. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., is now in Phase 3 of its re-opening plan, which limits gatherings to 45 people.

“You have to keep your fans and constituents of your city healthy and that’s the most important thing,” Brandmeyer said. “A baseball game is not worth losing one fan.”

This summer’s shortened season will be played at three hubs in Fargo, Milwaukee and Sioux Falls with limited capacity dependent on social=distancing rules in each state. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks will play host to the Winnipeg Goldeyes in Fargo, the Milwaukee Milkmen will host the Chicago Dogs and the Sioux Falls Canaries will host the St. Paul Saints.

On June 17, the league held a dispersal draft for players whose 2019 teams weren’t going to participate in this year’s season. The six teams playing this season combined to select 42 players, with 17 coming from the T-Bones’ roster.

In the first round of the draft, the T-Bones had four players selected at picks three through six: infielder Darnell Sweeney by Winnipeg; lefty pitcher Eric Stout by Chicago; and infielder Cito Culver by Fargo-Moorhead and outfielder Chuck Taylor by St. Paul.

Following the conclusion of the 2020 season, dispersal-drafted players will return to their original rosters.

“Our hope is that they’re going to continue chasing their dreams of being on a major-league roster,” Brandmeyer said. “We’re going to continue to help them any way we can.”

Without a season, the T-Bones will have to wait to defend their 2019 South Division title. Brandmeyer said the team is still in the process of signing the contract with local government to renew a lease for next season. Because of COVID-19, the team’s inability to host games this season changed the terms of the contract, forcing the two sides to draft a new one, he said.

While the contract is still being negotiated, Brandmeyer and his staff are in the process of renovating the stadium. They have already put in a new field and replaced padded seats that were torn. Once the agreement is officially signed, Brandmeyer said, they will work to improve the fan experience at the venue by upgrading suites and installing a new HVAC system, among other amenities.

On Oct. 14, the T-Bones were evicted from T-Bones Stadium by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City because the team’s previous owner, John Ehlert, owed over $760,000 in back rent and utility payments.

But three days later, Brandmeyer’s ownership group, Max Fun LLC, and the Unified Government came to a management agreement in which the local government committed to spending $1 million from Kansas sales tax revenue to help with funding for the team. The local government also didn’t charge a base rent in the deal.

Brandmeyer doesn’t know what the future holds regarding the pandemic, but he’s optimistic about playing baseball at T-Bones Stadium soon.

“It’s hard to predict when we’re going to be back to normal,” Brandmeyer said. “Our hope is that we’re going to be able to get through this and work with the UG to be able to put on a season for 2021.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 1:12 PM.