The White Sox' home opener is Thursday, and fans may be wondering whether it's one of their last seasons in Bridgeport.
Why it matters: The Sox and developer Related Midwest are considering building a stadium/entertainment complex on the South Branch of the Chicago River, which would upend decades of tradition on 35th and hurt businesses reliant on Guaranteed Rate Field.
The big picture: The team is flirting with moving to the South Loop as the Bears appear to narrow in on the city's lakefront as a site for a new stadium.
Catch up quick: Speculation surfaced in January when sources told the Sun-Times that Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf met with Related Midwest to talk about possible plans to move the team to The 78, which developers are pitching as a hotspot for residential, restaurants, shopping and, in this case, an MLB team.
By the numbers: A new stadium could cost about $1 billion, reports say. Included in Reinsdorf's plans:
The latest: Former Gov. Pat Quinn filed paperwork yesterday to get an advisory referendum on the November ballot asking whether taxpayers should pay for the new stadium, NBC reported.
What they're saying: "The addition of significant market and affordable housing, retail, and a world class baseball stadium and concert venue can be the sort of catalytic investment the city needs," Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) has said about the move.
The other side: "Many of us sports fans, we all want to see the team succeed, but these are private businesses. And we've seen other teams be able to support their own stadiums privately. That would be ideal here," Gov. JB Pritzker said at a press conference last month.
What's next: The Sox's current lease at the publicly owned Guaranteed Rate Field isn't up until 2028, so a move is not imminent.