PawSox Pick Worcester, With 'Big Announcement' Coming Friday

WORCESTER, MA—After months of debate and speculation, the Pawtucket Red Sox are officially announcing that they are relocating to Worcester's canal district, according to multiple media reports.

The city is reportedly making the official announcement of the move on Friday. The city announced on its official Facebook page that a "big announcement" would take place at 2 p.m. at city hall.

Unnamed sources have said there's been a tentative deal with the city and the Boston Red Sox to move the minor league team from Rhode Island to the Woo, said WBUR.

This relocation plan needs approval from the City Council and requires a public hearing to push the plan, which would move the PawSox from the home it has been in since 1973. Holy Cross sports economist Victor Matheson told WBUR that the city manager and other Worcester negotiators clearly must have offered the team something much more generous to lure them away from Pawtucket. The plan reportedly states that the PawSox put $45 million into a new stadium, buoyed by $38 million from the taxpayers.

On July 26, an attorney with Minor League baseball registered three trademarks for the term "WooSox," reports MassLive. The attorney and executives from the team had reportedly been spotted around Worcester, meeting at such establishments as Birch Tree Bread.

Social media erupted with the news, largely sparking fans from Rhode Island dismayed at the move.

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