West Palm Beach agrees to negotiate land swap for new Nats spring training site

The Nationals' long search for a new, permanent spring training home moved a step closer to a positive resolution on Monday.

The city of West Palm Beach, Fla., has agreed to begin negotiations on a swap 160 acres of land at 45th Street and Haverhill Road to Palm Beach County for 1.8 acres of county-owned land in West Palm Beach. That transaction, if completed, could lead to the construction of a two-team spring training facility that would be shared by the Nationals and Houston Astros.

"If an agreement can be reached that meets my requirement to protect the interests of our taxpayers, baseball may turn out to be the ideal use for the site. The devil will be in the details," West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio told a news conference Monday afternoon.

The county in October committed $108 million in public funds to build the $135 million complex, which could be in use for spring training and Grapefruit League games beginning in 2017, provided an acceptable site could be found in 90 days. The remainder of the cost would be split between the Nationals and Astros, with the state of Florida also contributing some money.

Talks aimed at completing the land swap are to begin next week, and the process could be completed in 90 days, according to county officials.

"The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros are grateful to the City of West Palm Beach for their willingness to open negotiations with Palm Beach County to secure a spring training facility site," the Nationals said in a statement. "Certainly, Mayor Muoio's statement today sets us on a path to a successful conclusion and we remain very optimistic."

A private developer had intented to buy the land to construct a mixed-use facility on the tract, but that deal is no longer viable.

The Nationals have long sought to find a better alternative than their present facility at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., because thier closest Grapefruit Legaue opposition is a 75-minute drive. Should the West Palm Beach proposal be approved, four teams would now be located in Palm Beach County, about 20 minutes from one another - the Astros and Nats in West Palm Beach and the Cardinals and Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

Over the past several years, the Nationals have tried to work out arrangements to take over the vacant City of Palms Park in Fort Myers and to build a new, shared facility in Kissimmee that would have also housed the Astros. But the Fort Myers deal, which would have seen the Nats join the Red Sox and Twins in Lee County for spring training, fell apart, and the Kissimmee plan didn't pass muster with Osceola County, which chose to lure a popular annual rodeo event to central Florida instead of investing in spring training baseball.

The Nationals' lease at Space Coast Stadium expires in 2017.