Chicago Cubs' Single-A Affiliate Gets Good News in Quest to Remain in Myrtle Beach

UPDATED POST, MAY 27, 2025, 7:30 p.m.: The Myrtle Beach (S.C.) City Council gave tentative approval Tuesday to a lease agreement that will keep the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans in the city for the next 30 years.

In addition, the council gave its first OK to a proposal from Horry County, which co-owns Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium, for the city to become the sole owner of the stadium. The county agreed to give the city $6 million to use toward $20 million worth of upgrades that Major League Baseball says are needed from a player development standpoint.

The City Council approved both ordinances on the first reading, with two readings and a second set of votes required for them to become law.

ABC affiliate WPDE said the council asked the Pelicans to help come up with ways to finance the required renovations before the second reading next Tuesday.

"I realize it's short notice, but I have faith that they can make it happen," said Brenda Bethune, the city's mayor.

About 250 Pelicans supporters showed up at the meeting to voice their support to keep the Pelicans in the city, per WPDE.

"We've been coming to Pelicans games for almost 20 years here, and we'd love to see 'em stay in town for at least another 20," said Rocco Turso, a Pelicans fan.

TODAY: Fans rally for Pelicans as Myrtle Beach passes first reading of lease agreementhttps://t.co/lIOjuzzRrA
— WPDE ABC15 (@wpdeabc15) May 27, 2025

Supporters also touted the economic impact the Pelicans have on the community. WPDE reported that local charities have received $3 million of donations since 2013, thanks to the Pelicans.

"If the Myrtle Beach Pelicans disappear, we don't just lose a baseball team," said Blakely Roof, the president and CEO of United Way of Horry County. "We lose one of the few organizations that consistently steps up, gives back, and uses its reach to lift others."

ORIGINAL POST, MAY 26, 2025: The city council in Myrtle Beach, S.C., could decide the future of the Single-A Pelicans, a Chicago Cubs affiliate, at its meeting Tuesday.

The council is due to discuss a proposal from Horry County – the co-owner of Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium – about how to pay for capital improvements needed to bring the ballpark to current Major League Baseball standards.

The Pelicans, in a social media post on Monday, asked fans to turn out to the council meeting to express their support.

“Please join us and other Pelicans supporters at Tuesday’s Myrtle Beach City Council meeting,” the team posted to X. “Show your support for the Pelicans and your appreciation of City Council’s efforts to keep the Pelicans in Myrtle Beach.”

Please join us and other Pelicans supporters at Tuesday’s Myrtle Beach City Council meeting.

Show your support for the Pelicans and your appreciation of City Council’s efforts to keep the Pelicans in Myrtle Beach. pic.twitter.com/KisEOOIQsc
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) May 26, 2025

Major League Baseball wants an answer by May 30 as to whether the municipalities have hammered out a funding agreement, as well as a lease with the team, that will allow the Pelicans to remain in a renovated venue.

The Pelicans have occupied the stadium since 1999, when they signed a 20-year lease. Their inception brought the return of baseball to the city, which had been without the game since the 1992 departure of the Myrtle Beach Hurricanes (High-A, Toronto Blue Jays).

Since that initial lease expired in 2018, the Pelicans have been on a series of extensions. But something needs to be done now, given the MLB deadline.

According to the Tuesday council agenda, the stadium needs an estimated $20 million in upgrades.

Horry County is proposing to contribute $6 million toward the stadium renovations under one big condition: the city of Myrtle Beach must agree to assume Horry County’s 30% ownership stake in the land and stadium.

Should the council agree to the Horry County proposal, then the council would need the final OK from the Pelicans on a 30-year lease, which would see payments graduate from $750,000 to $950,000 annually over the lease term. The council, under the proposal, also would assess a per-ticket fee for events at the stadium to help pay for improvements.

The proposal to shift $6 million and the rights to the property was one of three that Horry County offered after its meeting last week. That proposal would absolve the county of any future liability.

According to the council agenda, the city is not considering the other two proposals made by the county, which were more complex and would have been difficult to agree to before the Friday deadline.

During previous meetings, the city council has expressed its desire to keep the Cubs’ affiliate in Myrtle Beach. Now, the city must commit to taking over the stadium to make that happen.

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