ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is about to become the home of a professional baseball franchise for the first time in over a decade.
Mayos de Navojoa, a member of the Mexican Pacific Winter League, are moving to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, league and team officials announced Tuesday.
The Mexican Pacific Winter League — also known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, or LAMP — consists of 10 teams. They play a 68-game schedule from mid-October through late January.
The Mayos are expected to be rebranded and renamed. They will play their games at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, starting this fall.
“We’re going with a new name,†Victor Cuevas, president of the Mayos, . “One dynamic we will be managing in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is that, due to time and everything, we will be involving the fans in choosing the name of their new team. We’ll play from the beginning as the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (Professional) Baseball Team.â€
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Mayos de Navojoa, a regular participant in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, are relocating to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and will play at Kino full time.
The Mayos have played in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in recent years as part of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at Kino Stadium. The Fiesta has been one of several efforts to bring pro baseball back to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, with a franchise relocation being the ultimate goal.
This year’s Fiesta is slated for Oct. 2-5. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ franchise will begin regular-season play shortly after, with its first home games expected to be played later in October.
Although contracts are still being finalized, Pima County posted a memorandum announcing the move.
“The team from Navojoa will play the 2025 season at the Kino Sports Complex Veterans Memorial Stadium,†County Administrator Jan Lesher wrote. “This will include 34 home games at KSC in the regular season from October to December, with the potential for playoff games in January.
“This is truly a historic milestone for Pima County, the Liga Mexicana del PacÃfico and the team from Navojoa, which will be branded with a new ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ name and mascot with involvement of local residents and fans. Having this professional Liga Mexicana del PacÃfico team at the Kino Sports Complex means our community will be welcoming the other nine teams and their fans during scheduled season matchups to stay, dine, shop and entertain in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Pima County.

Navojoa shortstop Sam Dexter backs up to snare a stinging grounder against Obregon in their game in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at the Kino Sports Complex on Oct. 5, 2023.
“We are endlessly grateful to the Liga Mexicana del PacÃfico and the Cuevas family team ownership for selecting Pima County to be their home for the 2025 season.â€
The initial agreement is for only one year because it had to be expedited. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ officials are hopeful it will evolve into a multiyear arrangement.
“We have an incredible opportunity to prove once again that professional baseball belongs in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†said Blake Eager, executive director of the Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sports, Tourism & Film Authority.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was last home to a pro baseball franchise in 2013, the final season the Triple-A ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sidewinders played here. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Saguaros, a semi-professional independent-league team, have played at Kino and other area fields since 2016.
Kino underwent several upgrades, including new sod and a new scoreboard, before it hosted one of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers this past spring. Local officials viewed that event as an opportunity to prove that the stadium was ready to become the home of a franchise.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ previously served as the spring-training home for multiple MLB franchises. The last two to play here were the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, who began playing in a new facility in Phoenix in 2011.
The Mayos have played in Navojoa in the Mexican state of Sonora since the 1950s. Financial issues forced the franchise to relocate and become LAMP’s first U.S.-based team.
“It’s a drastic decision. It pains me,†Cuevas said. “There are challenges, there are changes and there are necessities.â€
A media event to officially announce the franchise relocation is expected to be held in June.
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social