CLEVELAND — The Guardians' work at Progressive Field may have come to an end this weekend, but that's not to say the corner of Carnegie Avenue and Ontario Street will be quiet. It was quite the opposite as crews began moving in to begin work on the second phase of ballpark renovations almost immediately.
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"We started pretty much hours after the last out," said Guardians Vice President Curtis Danburg of the moves that were plotted months in advance.
"We've been contingency planning since probably June. We got off to such a hot start, so they've been planning of what this looks like, but there's no question it puts a lot of challenges on tighter timeline to get done by April 8."
Crews were removing the first few rows of padded seats behind the home plate that had just been installed last off-season. It's part of one of the more time-challenged projects of this offseason. Redoing the clubhouses and creating the Carnegie Club behind home plate. Areas that were in use and couldn't be touched until Saturday's final out.
"There's been very limited access to getting things done in the clubhouses and our Carnegie Club because we were using them during the season," he said. "Everything especially underneath of the ballpark. I was down there yesterday and I mean there's a lot of moving parts."
Off-season will also bring the second of three phases of seat replacement, completing the lower bowl and bleachers.
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"So I think about 75% to 80% of the seats will be completely done by April 8, and then we'll finish it off prior to the '26 season."
The team's new offices, where an extra floor has been added, will be completed this off-season, as well as an all-new team shop on the first floor.
"The temporary team store that's been on the plaza this year will be shutting down here within a week," said Danburg. "So we'll go dark for a while but when we open up on April 8 for Opening Day we'll have a brand new team store for the fans."
Yes, for the second year in a row, the Guardians will open at home on April 8 after completing their first nine games of the season on the road. It is a move designed to give the contractors as much time as possible to get the work done before fans return to Progressive Field.
