Despite some fan angst, John Sherman reaffirms commitment to keep Royals in KC
As the Royals continue their search for a new ballpark location, there’s been a bit of angst among some fans. They worry the longer the process plays out, the better the chance the team leaves for a new city outside the Kansas City area.
Fortunately, there hasn’t been much of any talk about that sort of thing.
However, Missouri state senator Kurtis Gregory told Fox 4 last June that representatives from Nashville and Salt Lake City had reached out to the Royals.
That may have fueled some of the fan concern. There’s been a small but steady stream of talk on social media about the possibility of the Royals bolting for another city.
A Utah real estate company is hoping Major League Baseball will put an expansion team in Salt Lake City. However, it doesn’t appear any real push to lure the Royals has taken place.
But that could explain why Jackson Kurtz of KMBC (Ch. 9) recently shared an X post with a statement from the office of Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall. She said: “We have not had conversations with Kansas City and cannot comment on the Royals…”
CEO and chairman John Sherman reiterated at Saturday’s Royals Rally that he has no intention of moving the Royals.
“Look, we’re not going anywhere, and that’s what we’ve said all along,” Sherman said. “Someone else will have to do that. But I think related to the other comment about wealth and those types of things, I think that’s part of what we’re dealing with in our society. And in our case, we’re looking for a public partner, right, as I said before. We’re working day and night right now to find a way to make sure this team stays here for as long as any of us are going to be around.
“And the public partner is what ties you to a community, right? That’s really why that’s important.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 10:47 AM.
