MLB rumors: Brewers relocation update, Red Sox advancing GM discussions, questionable Guardians update

Brewers not leaving Milwaukee after key funding deal moves closer

Brewers fans, rejoice: The team is likely to stay in Milwaukee after a funding deal moved closer to the finish line on Wednesday. The plan, which features over $500 million in public money, was passed from the State Assembly to the Wisconsin Senate where its fate will ultimately be decided.

In the deal, the majority $411 million would come from the state and $135 million would be contributed by Milwaukee city and county funds. Here's how the sourcing of the funds breaks down, per ESPN:

"The state money would come in the form of grants. The local contribution would be generated from an existing fee the state Department of Administration charges the city and county for administering local sales taxes. Any fee revenue not used to administer the taxes would go to the stadium."

Earlier this year, reports came out that American Family Field was the subject of league scrutiny for not meeting the standards of a modern stadium. The report was generally surprising to Milwaukee baseball and MLB fans who have visited the stadium since it generally gets positive reviews from visitors.

One speculative thought for the reason for the discrepancy is that the league seems unsatisfied with some of the luxury offerings in Milwaukee. In truth, most common fans get everything they could want from an MLB stadium from the indoor/outdoor field, which is full of character and entertainment.

In general, the appetite for public funds going toward sports arenas has been low among sports fans who generally believe the owners of teams -- typically net-worth billionaires -- should foot the bill. Owners would contest that they aren't always as cash-flow positive as their net worths might indicate, and solvency could be an issue with a hundred-million-dollar expenditure like what the field is calling for in terms of renovations. Fans don't want to hear it.

The situation in Milwaukee is a little different, though, as the stadium is owned by the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, an entity created in the mid-90s solely for the creation of the stadium. The current lease requires that entity to pay for improvements to the stadium. The 0.1% sales tax imposed to pay for the stadium's build went away in 2020 after over two decades in a scheduled sunset.