The Astros and Daikin Comfort Technologies North America have reached agreement on a 15-year naming rights for the team’s downtown ballpark, the team announced (video link via X). Beginning in 2025, Houston’s Minute Maid Park will be renamed Daikin Park. The new name will remain in place through the 2039 season.
“We are excited to be partnering with Daikin for our ballpark’s naming rights,” owner Jim Crane said in a statement Monday morning. “Daikin is an international company that proudly calls the Greater Houston area its North American home. The Houston Astros and Daikin share the same values, a commitment to excellence and a desire to give back to our local community.”
The Houston Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara reports that the prior 28-year naming deal with Minute Maid Co. had been slated to run through the 2029 season but was ended early for yet-unknown reasons. That agreement paid the Astros an estimated $170MM over the life of the deal, per Kawahara. Minute Maid remains a marketing partner but will no longer claim those naming rights. It’s not yet clear how much of that estimated $170MM was yet to be paid out or how the new naming rights agreement will impact revenues.
The team’s lease at the current ballpark runs through 2050, so it’s possible there’ll be at least one additional new name somewhere down the road. Of course, the Astros and Daikin could agree to an extension of the new naming rights agreement at a later date.
davengmusic
Sounds dumb for a Houston ballpark, but money is money I guess
clubberlang
We use the hell out of some A/C down here. Makes some sense.
thickiedon
Gallery Furniture Park seems more appropriate
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Horrible name, everyone is still gonna call it Minute Maid just like how us in Seattle still call it safeco field
2020vision
You’re right. Studies have shown you don’t want to take over naming rights after years of being known as something else. Biggest waste of marketing dollars a company could make.
avenger65
guaranteed rate field is just known as Sox Park.
doghockey
Great point. You cite studies but don’t think that companies looking to spend millions do the same. Funny stuff.
Rounding3rd
Bring back Enron Field. lol
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
I miss pro player park…
doghockey
You sure told them.
Bennie
They are going all out to sign Sasaki.
BabyDegenerate
Huge buy low on the naming rights. The Daikin Comfort Technologies North America fan inside of me loves this move!
9/11ths
Would have loved for your O’s to buy low on Daikin Comfort Technologies for 2025.
BabyDegenerate
Cedric Mullins and Griff O’Ferrall for the Daikin Comfort Technologies North America naming rights, who says no?
Mikenmn
Baseball at its very best….
just_breathe
Steelers’ officials called to profusely thank the stros for new worst Stadium name
For Love of the Game
Acrisure, Daikin, pick your poison as to the worst name.
sufferforsnakes
Progressive
Bart Harley Jarvis
@sufferforsnakes,
Flo and Jamie say otherwise.
pinstripes17
Guaranteed Rate Field has to be up there
rememberthecoop
Especially since their graphic is an arrow pointing downward…
Clofreesz
Smoothie King Center?
bestone
“My Pillow Fort”
Ronk325
Loan Depot Park is also egregious
Informed Sportsball Discussion
@Ronk325
There should also be a Home Depot Park. Just because.
poolerh
Could have been worse. We might have ended up with Waste Management Park.
Rounding3rd
And the Astros have used trash cans. Perfect tie-in!
MacGromit
name is as good as any in this capitalist world. how did Minute Maid Park in Houston really make sense either though? I don’t naturally think Houston = OJ. just glad it’s not FanDuel Park or something in the sports betting world.
Mehmehmeh
Thank you for making me realize it could be a lot worse. I’d prefer the name of a giant radish over a gambling business.
Clofreesz
Bet365 Stadium in Stoke, England. Yeah.
avenger65
Clofreez: Pretty much every team in the English Premier League has a betting company written on their shirts. MLB will soon follow.
mlb fan
“Over a gambling business”..It won’t be long now; gambling interests (Fan Duel)have already taken over a major sports broadcast company and will soon fly their flags over sports stadiums all across the USA. Major sports leagues will soon rue the day they got into bed with shady sports gambling companies.
This one belongs to the Reds
Giant Radish Stadium has somewhat of a ring to it.
thickiedon
Minute Maid has been headquartered in Houston since the 60s
Bart Harley Jarvis
But Rubbermaid Park would’ve been so much better. What a missed opportunity…
This one belongs to the Reds
They tossed that idea like a used container.
Lanidrac
It’s too bad Diamond’s rebranded regional baseball networks can’t say the same thing.
Old York
ダイキン工業株式会社
Maybe they can attract Sasaki to pitch in Houston…
This one belongs to the Reds
Your characters reminds me of something funny.
A guy went up to my Japanese friend hoping to impress, pulled up his sleeve to show the two Japanese characters tattoo, boasting it said “great warrior”. She took one look at it, looked at him and said “it actually says beef and broccoli.”
Old York
@This one belongs to the Reds
I’m not trying to impress anyone. That’s the company name.
This one belongs to the Reds
Oh I know, just reminded me of that funny story.
Actually more kanji, hiragana, katakana, romaji script, I say.
Acoss1331
The name is dumb, but I’d argue Guaranteed Rate Field tops it. That’s the White Sox ballpark for those that don’t know. I just call it Sox Park…
sufferforsnakes
The only Guaranteed Rate is the rate of failure.
TheHighCheese4Me
The Mariners are the only franchise that “guarantees” a rate of failure… 46% or greater.
Lanidrac
…and the only current franchise with no League Pennants.
RoyalsFanAmongWolves
I’m only enough to remember the White Sox playing in Comiskey Park.
CravenMoorehead
I’m old enough to remember visiting relatives in Oakland, going to an A’s game and being able to see the beautiful Oakland hills in CF at the Coliseum without “Mount Davis” blocking the view
avenger65
RoyalsFan: I loved going to Comiskey Park. After it was torn down they tried calling the new one Comiskey Park, but that didn’t last long because it wasn’t. As Acoss said, we call it Sox Park. We’re not contractually obligated to call it by its sponsor’s name.
rotofool
The White Sox sponsor rebranded, changing its name simply to “Rate”, dropping the Guaranteed part. That actually happened, no joke.
Informed Sportsball Discussion
@rotofool
Now it’s Ambiguous Rate Field.
just_thinkin
lmao
mlb fan
“Daikin” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. I’m guessing after this 15 year deal is over that very few people will ever know who they are.
Clofreesz
No! As a Rangers fan, I hate the Astros with all my heart, but this? Urgh!
Rocker49
As an Astros fan, we don’t even care about the Rangers LOL
Clofreesz
I’m still calling it Minute Maid or H*ll instead of this new name. Yikes…
Meow Meow
Minute Maid losing a park name and Tropicana Field ruined by a hurricane? Bad offseason for orange juice.
mlb fan
It’s bad “juju juice”.
fred-3
Soulless
MLB Top 100 Commenter
Daikin shares the asterisks values? You mean they both bang trash can lids?
Old York
@MLB Top 100 Commenter
No, they can use the AC unit to bang on now.
angelscamp
Oh, brother.
This one belongs to the Reds
I never know what these things are named anymore so I just call them “the damn *insert city name* ballpark” now.
differentbears
I just call it Dodger Stadium.
CravenMoorehead
Well it sure beats Enron Field 🙂
Footjoyboi
Hopefully we’ll be hearing the phrase “Rakin’ at Daikin” a lot from now on.
Steve Adams
It’s pronounced “dye-kin,” which throws off the rhyme scheme there, sadly.
Rounding3rd
“Dying in Daikin!”
A's Fan
even with name change i will continue to refer to is as “the juice box”
Steve Adams
The “ice box” nickname (Daikin manufactures air conditioners) floating around social media is actually pretty great, ha.
Verlander2TheQuickening
I’ve also seen “the condenser unit” going around, which I kinda like better.
Sunday Lasagna
Hope the Yankees and Dodgers always play at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium.
ClevelandSteelEngines
It’d be just great if everyone rejected calling it by these sponsored names. Corporate names are annoying and transient. I’d much rather have a strong name that can become hallowed than a transient one that means nothing to the team besides paying for the owner’s valet parking.
rememberthecoop
No more Juice Box.
shibbynotdude
Same values as Astros… making money
poolerh
News flash: Every company is in business to make money.
bestone
Rogers Center in Toronto needs to partner with Hoover or Dyson to reflect the dollar vacuum nature of the customer experience….
willclarksgauchos
We all know it’s going to be called The Dike, right?
letitbelowenstein
There’s an idea.
Steve Cohen: How’s this grab you? Soto Park.
Juan Soto: Where do I sign?
AllAboutBaseball
I’m still waiting for a ballpark to be named Burger King Stadium, Jack in the Box Field, McDonald’s Stadium.
depletion
I had never heard of Daikin until I read this article. Now I know it’s an air conditioning company, so their Naming Rights investment is already paying off.
avenger65
depletion: It’s also a very big white, hot, Japanese radish.
thickiedon
No, avenger, that’s daikOn
fenwayfrank
What an awful name. I know these teams get $$$ for naming rights, but its just awful. I hope Fenway, Yankee Stadium & Dodger stadium never change their names.
King Floch
God I hope Dave Rubenstein never sells the naming rights to OPACY (like John Angelos was planning to before the sale of the team).
Feels good being one of the last MLB teams with a real stadium name, not an advertisement masquerading as a stadium name.
Niekro floater
Enron, MinuteMaid, now Daikin, all names for same ballpark. Seems kinda dirty, whoring out your home field’s name for whoever is throwing around most advertising dollars. Wonder if when Enron bought rights did the FO put out similar press release to this one, “we share the same values.” Hope this is dying fad n we won’t be subject to Samsung Dodger Stadium or Pepsi Yankee Stadium in near future.
Redfish Time
Would Trojan Enz Field have to be a dome?
LLGiants64
No class left in major league baseball.