The Kansas City Royals have made just as many headlines for their player transactions as for questions about where they'll play in the future this offseason. They could move to either downtown Kansas City, Missouri, or follow the Kansas City Chiefs to Kansas.

However, Kansas Speaker of the House Rep. Dan Hawkins (R, Wichita) said "Time's up" regarding the latter possibility on Wednesday, via KC 5 TV's Samantha Boring.

“Time’s up- as I’ve said before, today is the deadline for STAR Bond proposals," he said. "With the 2026 Legislative Session just around the corner, our focus has to stay on the priorities that matter most-lowering the cost of living and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in the state budget. There’s a lot of work ahead and House Republicans are ready to get to work."

"STAR Bonds" stands for Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds, a bill that the Kansas Legislature passed in June 2024 to "lure a professional sports team to the state," per Boring. It worked with the Chiefs, as they announced in December that they will leave Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium for a $3 billion domed stadium across the Missouri-Kansas state line ahead of the 2031 season, via ESPN.

The Royals' Kauffman Stadium is next to Arrowhead, and Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas said on Monday that he wants the team to move to the downtown portion of the city, via KMBC News' Eric Graves.

"We are not losing the Kansas City Royals," Lucas said. "They will be here. I hope they play in Kansas City, Missouri. I hope they play in downtown Kansas City. But the Royals will be here, and we will make sure that work gets done."

Kauffman Stadium History

The Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium since 1973, although it was originally named "Royals Stadium." They renamed it after franchise founder Ewing Kauffman in 1993 and renovated the park with a 360-degree concourse in 2009. 

Kauffman is part of the Truman Sports Complex alongside Arrowhead, which is about 8.5 miles from downtown Kansas City. The Royals' lease at Truman is expiring in 2030, which has sparked the discussion about their future home. 

Lucas thinks that the Washington Square Park area downtown would be a lucrative choice, per Graves.

"You have a footprint that does not take out any existing business," Lucas said. "You have a footprint that already itself is largely tourism, entertainment-related and focused. You have tens of thousands of parking spaces nearby, which is something very exciting."