Nuts are playing their last baseball season in Modesto, team says. Here’s why

The Modesto Nuts are leaving at the end of this season after the city and the Seattle Mariners club — which owns the minor league team — could not come to terms over a long-term lease extension for the city-owned John Thurman Field.

The deal-breaker is the estimated $32 million in improvements to John Thurman Field that Major League Baseball was mandating, according to a city memo distributed to City Council members.

The city’s current lease with the Nuts for John Thurman Field ends Sept. 30. The Nuts final regular season home game is Sept. 8 against the Stockton Ports. The Nuts are a Class A team and play in the California League.

The memo states the $32 million is based on a final capital improvement report solicited by the Mariners, and the improvements “were focused on enhancements of player standards and not necessarily improving the fan experience,” including larger clubhouses for home and visiting teams and better training facilities for the players.

The memo states the city has paid for $1.3 million in capital improvements at John Thurman Field since 2017 and provided $3 million in subsidies for operating costs since 2018.

“The Modesto Nuts have had a dedicated presence in the city of Modesto, and we share the fans’ disappointment with this news,” states one of the memo’s talking points. “However, the city negotiated in the best interest of our community and being fiscally responsible to our taxpayers.”

Fans and residents were quick to react when the Nuts announced their departure in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

“Doesn’t seem like people have any idea why this is happening but already blaming the City of Modesto,” commented Gumaro Diaz. “The billionaires who own these sports teams now are the ones ruining sports. Not the cities who have been nothing but gracious hosts to the teams in their stadiums.”

Beth Twist wrote, “This is so sad!!! So many memories at this ball park dating to my dad’s stories of being bat boy for the Modesto Reds when he was in high school to the past 25 years of me taking my kids there! Such a shame Modesto!”

And Matt Manning commented, “This is terrible news for the city of Modesto. Minor-league baseball isn’t just a business, it’s a community asset. And the leadership that has allowed it to slip through the cracks should be ashamed. Just a massive loss to a city that just can’t catch a break.”

Minor league ball in Modesto dates back nearly 80 years

There has been minor league baseball in Modesto since 1946 with the Modesto Reds and then the Modesto A;s from 1976 to 2004. The team became a Colorado Rockies affiliate in 2005 and was renamed the Modesto Nuts. The Mariners took over in 2017.

John Thurman has been the home for minor league baseball since it opened in the mid-1950s.

Mayor Sue Zwahlen and Nuts general manager Veronica Hernandez both said in a Wednesday city news release that they were disappointed an agreement could not be reached and stressed the solid relationship between the city and the ball club and its contributions to making Modesto better.

At this time, the Nuts do not have a place to relocate for 2025 and beyond, Hernandez told The Bee. The club is looking at “all opportunities right now” but “nothing is for certain.”

As for the rest of the season in Modesto, “We just want to celebrate the last half of the season with the fans and enjoy these moments here at John Thurman Field with professional baseball being played,” she said. Through the first half of the 2024 California League season, the Nuts continued their exceptional play, finishing atop the North with an impressive 41-23 record.

Attendance at John Thurman Field has lagged in recent years. The Bee previously reported that it reached its high-water mark of 180,785 in 2011 but was down to 139,762 in 2019 before the pandemic.

The city reported in its memo that attendance was 42,200 in 2021, 96,365 in 2022 and 87,967 in 2023. The memo did not provide attendance for this season.

Regarding John Thurman Field’s future, the memo states: “As the city of Modesto moves forward, we are committed to exploring new sports and entertainment opportunities that will continue to enhance the quality of life for all residents in our community.”

John Thurman Field is next to the shuttered nine-hole Modesto Municipal Golf Course in west Modesto. The city is exploring redevelopment of the roughly 54-acre golf course but has not announced any decisions. Residents have called for housing, open space and mixed-use development.

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