The Arizona Diamondbacks gear up for 29th season

The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to begin their 29th season in their home opener on March 30th against the Detroit Tigers. Star pitcher Zac Gallen is making his return to the field on a one-year deal worth $22.025 million.

Steve Mullins, executive vice president of Business Operations and chief commercial officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss more about the new season.

Mullins expressed excitement for the season saying that the D-Backs “got a team that’s been really competitive for the last couple of years… We went to the World Series in 2023, we missed the playoffs by a three-way tie last year… We had three guys last year who were in the top ten for MVP voting. So when you think about plugging in holes around that… generally speaking we’ve got a team that’s really competitive and I think the things they needed to do in the offseason, they’ve addressed.”

Additionally, this season, H.B. 2704 will come into effect. This bill allocates $500 million in tax money for improvements at Chase Field. It redirects 82 percent of the state income tax collected from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the stadium for repairs and maintenance.

“When you think about the impact that pro sports teams have on a community and facilities that they’re used to and the pride for the city that it has, it makes sense that obviously we would invest in that. And this building is dated and it’s old and so it does need those repairs and those things over time,” Mullins said.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that the TPT and income tax transfers to the District Fund will cease if the Arizona Diamondbacks leave Chase Field before 2055. The bill also prescribes specific penalties for the team if they leave before 2035, 2045, or 2050.

“At first what you’re probably going to see is a lot of things that are structural. Whether it’s the roof repair. This year we just added a new scoreboard. It’s going to be phenomenal its 50% larger than the last one,” Mullins said.