Report says T-Mobile gets naming rights to Safeco Field, but Mariners say no deal yet



SEATTLE -- A Forbes report claims that T-Mobile will acquire the naming rights to Safeco Field, but the Seattle Mariners say a deal has not yet been struck.

The Forbes article posted on Thursday cited unnamed sources, claiming the stadium's naming rights will go to Bellevue-based telecommunications company T-Mobile.

In a statement to Q13 News, a Mariners spokesperson said the team does not have an agreement with a naming rights partner. The Mariners do not yet have a final lease agreement for the stadium. It still needs to be voted on by the Public Facilities District. Until that happens, she said, the team will not have an agreement with a naming rights partner.

T-Mobile said it did not have any news to share about a possible deal and released this statement to Q13 News: “We’re always looking for ways to show our hometown love but we don’t have any news to share at this time.”

The Mariners made the announcement last June that Safeco Field’s naming rights will not be extended past the 2018 season.

So far, it's unclear when the final decision on the new name will be made.

Safeco Insurance has held the stadium’s naming rights for the last 20 years. The original agreement for the was reached in 1998, the year before the ballpark opened.

The stadium is owned by the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District.

In September, The King County Council voted 5-4 to direct $135 million in hotel tax revenue to maintain Safeco Field as part of the Seattle Mariners new lease agreement.