You Take, We Take: Mass. Could Poach PawSox Weeks After R.I. Nabs Virgin Pulse
Rhode Island may have recently poached a company from Massachusetts, but the Bay State could look to return the favor and nab its southern neighbor’s treasured Boston Red Sox affiliate.
Weeks after Virgin Pulse announced it would move its global headquarters across state lines from Framingham to new space in downtown Providence, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has announced he supports an effort to move the Pawtucket Red Sox from the Ocean State to Worcester. Baker spoke at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting Friday and said the state could provide infrastructure and public investment to bring the Triple-A Boston Red Sox affiliate to the city, the Worcester Business Journal reports.
Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash has been in talks with PawSox executives, including Chairman Larry Lucchino, about a potential move. Worcester leaders were said to have begun courting the team last summer, with a city business organization organizing outreach and sending postcards from 10,000 Worcester residents in support of a relocation.
The Rhode Island-based team has been looking for a replacement for its McCoy Stadium, originally built in 1942. A plan for a downtown Providence stadium fell through after public sentiment soured over the team’s requested $120M in state subsidies. While terms of a potential Worcester deal have not been released, the PawSox are believed to have revised the figure and were only looking for $40M in incentives for a potential new stadium in Rhode Island.
