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Long Beach wants to take a swing at bringing another minor league baseball team to town
Long Beach was home to the Armada minor league baseball team in 2006.
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Long Beach could be home to a new minor league baseball team as soon as the 2026 season after the City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to kickstart the process.
The approved motion creates a partnership with the city, Long Beach State and team officials to bring the Long Beach Baseball Club to Blair Field.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the move could unify the city and boost the local economy.
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“This isn’t shifting a team from somewhere else to here,” Richardson said. “It’s creating a brand new professional baseball team for Long Beach.”
He said the move could also open the door for other professional sports teams to the coastal city, such as women’s basketball, soccer and more.
Long Beach’s history of playing ball
A minor league team in Long Beach is not new; it’s been tried several times before.
The latest was the Long Beach Armadas, which played in the city between 2005 and 2009. Before that, between 1995 and 2003, the Long Beach Riptides planted roots in the city, as well as the Long Beach Breakers in the early 2000s.
The city has also seen a number of great players, including:
- Jered Weaver, a three-time MLB All-Star pitcher and played for the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim and the San Diego Padres.
- Bobby Grich, former second baseman for the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.
- Evan Longoria, who played for the Long Beach State Dirtbags and went on to become a three-time MLB All-Star.
- Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn went to the World Series twice with the San Diego Padres.
Richardson says baseball runs deep in the city.
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“In this moment, we think bringing a professional team to Long Beach will do a lot to inspire future generations, but also just to instill more unity and inspiration in our community,” Richardson said.
What we know about the partnership
The city is facilitating the partnership with Long Beach State and baseball team officials for the use of Blair Field, which is home to CSULB’s Dirtbags.
“We remain open to conversations with the city and other third parties about additional uses of Bohl Diamond at Blair Field that complement the use of the stadium,” said Bobby Smitheran, CSULB’s executive director of athletics.
According to Richardson, the draft aims to identify, address and minimize any neighborhood concerns.
It is unclear how much the partnership will cost the city, but any “financial impacts” will be outlined in a report. That drafted proposal must be approved by the council. According to city staff, a date hasn’t been set for consideration.
Background on the future club
The Long Beach Baseball Club ownership group includes Oakland Ballers co-founders Bryan Carmel and Paul Freedman. Each team is independently owned and operated within the Pioneer Baseball League, which is a Major League Baseball partner league and not an affiliate.
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If the team is formed, it could be the 13th team added to the league roster.
The Oakland Ballers have already seen major success and fan turnout, according to Carmel.
“For us, we had the recipe and it felt like this is the perfect place to try to bring the same kind of approach to a pro baseball team,” Carmel said at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
What’s the reaction been?
Long Beach resident and former Major League Baseball player, Chase d’Arnaud, said the future team could keep the game alive.
“My brother and I would go and watch minor league games there. We’d bring our gloves, we’d get autographs … We trained there, we dreamed there,” d’Arnaud said. “Blair Field is where serious baseball players from this region grow up wanting to play.”
Richardson said the energy in the city has shifted since announcing the move to bring professional baseball to Long Beach.
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“People love sports. They love baseball, and they want to root for the home team in Long Beach,” Richardson said. “There's an identity, there's a culture, there's a grit associated with this city. And so this is the right step for us.”
Bringing high-level baseball to Blair Field, d’Arnaud added, will give the community something special.
“It gives kids role models. It brings families back together at the ballpark,” d’Arnaud said. “And it keeps the dream alive for the next generation.”
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