Seattle Mariners Stadium – Goodbye Safeco Field, Hello _______?

If you haven’t heard, this is the final season the Seattle Mariners will play at Safeco Field. The naming rights agreement between the Mariners and Safeco Insurance Company expires at the end of the 2018 season and it will not be renewed.

There has been a rumor going around the Mariners have reached an agreement with Proliance for the naming rights to the stadium, but Ryan Divish, writer for the Seattle Times who covers the Mariners, recently shut that rumor down.

"No, the Mariners do not have naming rights agreement for Safeco Field with Proliance or any company at this point. -@RyanDivish"

This got me thinking – who will place the high bid and win the naming rights? And what will the stadium soon be called?

It would be an impossible task to guess which corporation will eventually pony up enough dough for the naming rights. So instead, I thought we’d take a look at a few local major companies here in Seattle and see if we can’t come up with a list of potential names for the stadium.

PROLIANCE

I heard you Divish, but the rumor is out there so I figure we should include it. Truth is, there is something poetic about a company in the medical field taking ownership of the stadium the Seattle Mariners call home. With all of the injuries this ball club has seen over the last several years, one might think it is a hospital.

Anyway, this company may be the least known of the bunch we’re going to look at today, but I have to say this could wind up being the most appealing name choice of them all. Can anyone else see themselves walking into PROLIANCE PARK? That actually has a nice ring to it.

COSTCO

Selling food by the truck load and sending customers out of garage doors with highlighted receipts rarely displaying a grand total under $200 is their daily duty. Selling in bulk is about as American as it gets, and Costco is making a killing off of the idea.

But here is the scary thing about this specific proposition. Paying for the naming rights of a Major League ballpark could wind up being the best business decision Costco has ever made. Honestly, a hot dog and a Coke normally purchased for $1.50 now being sold for $12? Cha-ching! Cha-ching!

I’m certain a lot of people would scoff at the idea, but this could be an absolute game changer in the world of stadium re-naming. How about a change that would require very little adjustment at all and save the Mariners a ton of money on signage. You keep the “CO” at the end and just replace the “SAFE” with “COST.” COSTCO FIELD. Almost feels like a no-brainer if you ask me.

BOEING

Fun fact: Although Boeing is synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, corporate moved their offices to Chicago back in 2001. Ironically, upon Boeing’s departure from the Pacific Northwest the Mariners simultaneously departed from the MLB playoffs, never to return again.  Maybe we should have been blaming Boeing for this disastrous 17-year stretch all along.

The simple choice here would be Boeing Ball Park. However, I think we need a little more creativity out of the innovative leader of aerospace.

If anyone knows anything about Boeing, they know first and foremost they build 7-something-7’s. There’s the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787. So I say we mix the aerospace world with the baseball world and go with something like Seven-6-4-3-Seven Stadium. I can see that one really “taking off.”

AMAZON

The online shopping juggernaut that is Amazon has settled into this town quite nicely. With eco-friendly greenhouse bubbles made of glass relieving the stresses of their employees, all while raising the stresses of drivers trying to make their way through the now over populated Seattle Center neighborhood, Amazon’s campus is a sight to behold.

But why stop at the current $4 billion investment they’ve made? I can see it now, a new glass spherical roof high above the diamond. The cone-shaped trees from years ago brought back and re-planted along the batter’s eye in center field. More plant giveaways on the promotions schedule… and not just during Earth week. And maybe an option to have your beer and hot dog delivered to your seat by drone.

I’ll tell you what, once you Seattleites find your seat at Amazon Prime Park you may never leave.

TULLY’S

I was attending a comedy show at the University of Washington several years back and the headliner of the night, Chicago native John Mulaney, absolutely nailed a perfect description of Tully’s Coffee.

"“Walking the streets of downtown, looking for a place to get a coffee. I had been told I could find a Starbucks on every corner in Seattle. Naturally I assumed that would be an exaggeration. It wasn’t. None-the-less, I found someone on the street who was holding an unfamiliar cup and I asked where they got their coffee. Tully’s. Tully’s is where they got their coffee. Let me say that one more time. Tully’s. That just screams second place!” -John Mulaney"

He went on to describe how he imagined the barista filtering coffee with newspaper and weeping over not being given her very own green apron. I was crying. But thinking back, he had a great point. Tully’s does scream second place. But as a Sonic’s fan, Tully’s will always be number one in my heart. And so, I give the nod to second place and offer up, Tully’s Ball Park.

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So there we have it. A few ideas for the Seattle Mariners to chew on as they proceed with the bidding process over the naming rights to the stadium.And now I ask you, what company do you see delivering the high bid and what are some name ideas that come to mind?