Maricopa County, D-backs in dispute over Chase Field

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The Arizona Diamondbacks are asking Maricopa County officials to remove a restriction preventing the team from relocating the home of the Diamondbacks .

The team sent a letter to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on March 16, requesting the Maricopa County Stadium District to allow the AZPB Limited Partnership to move out of Chase Field.

On March 23, the board responded declining the request, stating that the team can begin discussing relocation after 2024.

Clint Hickman's letter cites the requirement was placed so that taxpayers who paid $238 million for the stadium would not be left with an empty stadium in downtown Phoenix.

The team says there are $187 million in deferred repair and maintenance costs for the stadium, and that figure doesn't factor any cost to update the 20-year-old stadium to a state of the art condition.