Dramatic Progressive Field renovations to begin after 2023 season

The 2023 Guardians season will be fans' last chance to experience Progressive Field in its current form.

• Following the final out this year, construction will begin in earnest on renovations that will dramatically alter the look and feel of the ballpark on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Driving the news: In January, the Guardians announced details of "Progressive Field Reimagined," a redesign that emphasizes social gathering spaces and improvements to the stadium's upper deck.

• The unsightly shipping containers in right field will be replaced by seating and grab-and-go concession areas.
• The listless Terrace Club will be reborn as the Terrace Hub, a multi-floor market hall topped by a beer garden.
• Walls will be removed and open-air bar areas added to the upper decks in left and right field.

By the numbers: The stadium seating capacity will remain at about 35,000, as seats will be added in right field but eliminated elsewhere to create more standing-room environments akin to the Corner Bar on the right field concourse.

Of note: The $435 million project includes roughly $285 million in public subsidies from the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio.

Between the lines: The city's general fund is imperiled more directly than in the Quicken Loans Arena Deal in 2017.

• Of the $8 million that the city agreed to commit annually to Progressive Field for 15 years, more than $300,000 is unsourced, meaning it will probably come from the general fund.
• Revenue from the city-owned Gateway East parking garage has also been committed to the deal, but if it falls short of projections ($2 million per year), the general fund will have to make up the difference.

Reality check: In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, the Gateway East parking garage generated only $1.6 million in revenue.