Goodbye Safeco Field, hello T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners and T-Mobile signed a naming rights deal that began in January and runs through December 2043.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, crews removed the Safeco sign above the Home Plate gate.
“T-Mobile has a deep commitment to this community, a passion for customer service and a well-earned reputation as a leader in innovation," Seattle Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton said. "These are the qualities that make T-Mobile the right partner to name this iconic ballpark.”
“T-Mobile Park isn’t just some corporate-branded sponsorship to us…this is about supporting the community and our hometown Mariners in building a World Series-caliber team!” said John Legere, T-Mobile CEO.
Much of the work of turning the field into T-Mobile Park is expected to be completed by Mariners opening day at the end of March, 2019. The team will meet the Boston Red Sox for their first game of the season.
Safeco purchased the naming rights to the ballpark for $40 million in 1998, about a year before the inaugural game when the Mariners played the San Diego Padres.
The new deal comes after the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District Board ratified a 25-year lease to keep the Mariners where they are. The agreement includes $135 million in public funding for improvements to the ballpark, which was narrowly approved by the King County Council.