DAVENPORT, Iowa — Major League Baseball is requiring the City of Davenport to bring two parts of Modern Woodmen Park up to MLB standards by opening day 2025. Those are extending the protective netting all the way down to the foul pole. and replacing the field.
"These are the requirements that Major League Baseball says, 'If you want to have a minor league team, this is what you have to do'", River Bandits Owner Dave Heller said.
Heller says the City of Davenport has a legally binding contract that requires them to do the upgrades.
'The city really has two choices," Heller said. "They can honor the contract, or they can break the contract, and if they break the contract, I think that sends a terrible message to everybody who wants to do business with the City of Davenport."
In 2021, Davenport agreed to a 10-year lease agreement with the Bandits. The contract states that Modern Woodmen Park must "at all times, remain in compliance with all MLB facility standards" and that "the city shall be obligated to make all improvements required by MLB under its MLB facility standards."
In summer 2023, Major League Baseball audited the park and laid out the field renovation and extended netting that must be done.
"Our fields in Minor League Baseball generally have a lifespan of five to seven years," Heller said. "It's been 13 years since we've replaced the field. It's time for a new field and we have to do that."
According to the Quad City Times, Davenport council members at Saturday's city council work session were caught off guard by these additional expenses totaling roughly $900,000.
Mayor Mike Matson said that if the council knew the MLB would have additional asks outside of the contract, "I don't know if we'd have done the contract." News 8 reached out to several members of the Davenport City Council for comment on this story, but none have agreed to an interview as of 6:45 p.m. on Monday, April 1.
Heller doesn't understand how these requirements were a surprise.
"The field standards are part of the existing contract, and it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that we need a new field."
Heller says if the city doesn't make the upgrades, the case could end up in court.