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.
Sounds dumb for a Houston ballpark, but money is money I guess
We use the hell out of some A/C down here. Makes some sense.
Gallery Furniture Park seems more appropriate
Horrible name, everyone is still gonna call it Minute Maid just like how us in Seattle still call it safeco field
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.
guaranteed rate field is just known as Sox Park.
Great point. You cite studies but don’t think that companies looking to spend millions do the same. Funny stuff.
Bring back Enron Field. lol
I miss pro player park…
You sure told them.
They are going all out to sign Sasaki.
Huge buy low on the naming rights. The Daikin Comfort Technologies North America fan inside of me loves this move!
Would have loved for your O’s to buy low on Daikin Comfort Technologies for 2025.
Cedric Mullins and Griff O’Ferrall for the Daikin Comfort Technologies North America naming rights, who says no?
Baseball at its very best….
Steelers’ officials called to profusely thank the stros for new worst Stadium name
Acrisure, Daikin, pick your poison as to the worst name.
Progressive
@sufferforsnakes,
Flo and Jamie say otherwise.
Guaranteed Rate Field has to be up there
Especially since their graphic is an arrow pointing downward…
Smoothie King Center?
“My Pillow Fort”
Loan Depot Park is also egregious
@Ronk325
There should also be a Home Depot Park. Just because.
Could have been worse. We might have ended up with Waste Management Park.
And the Astros have used trash cans. Perfect tie-in!
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.
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.
Bet365 Stadium in Stoke, England. Yeah.
Clofreez: Pretty much every team in the English Premier League has a betting company written on their shirts. MLB will soon follow.
“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.
Giant Radish Stadium has somewhat of a ring to it.
Minute Maid has been headquartered in Houston since the 60s
But Rubbermaid Park would’ve been so much better. What a missed opportunity…
They tossed that idea like a used container.
It’s too bad Diamond’s rebranded regional baseball networks can’t say the same thing.
ダイキン工業株式会社
Maybe they can attract Sasaki to pitch in Houston…
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.”
@This one belongs to the Reds
I’m not trying to impress anyone. That’s the company name.
Oh I know, just reminded me of that funny story.
Actually more kanji, hiragana, katakana, romaji script, I say.
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…
The only Guaranteed Rate is the rate of failure.
The Mariners are the only franchise that “guarantees” a rate of failure… 46% or greater.
…and the only current franchise with no League Pennants.
I’m only enough to remember the White Sox playing in Comiskey Park.
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
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.
The White Sox sponsor rebranded, changing its name simply to “Rate”, dropping the Guaranteed part. That actually happened, no joke.
@rotofool
Now it’s Ambiguous Rate Field.
lmao
“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.
No! As a Rangers fan, I hate the Astros with all my heart, but this? Urgh!
As an Astros fan, we don’t even care about the Rangers LOL
I’m still calling it Minute Maid or H*ll instead of this new name. Yikes…
Minute Maid losing a park name and Tropicana Field ruined by a hurricane? Bad offseason for orange juice.
It’s bad “juju juice”.
Soulless
Daikin shares the asterisks values? You mean they both bang trash can lids?
@MLB Top 100 Commenter
No, they can use the AC unit to bang on now.
Oh, brother.
I never know what these things are named anymore so I just call them “the damn *insert city name* ballpark” now.
I just call it Dodger Stadium.
Well it sure beats Enron Field 🙂
Hopefully we’ll be hearing the phrase “Rakin’ at Daikin” a lot from now on.
It’s pronounced “dye-kin,” which throws off the rhyme scheme there, sadly.
“Dying in Daikin!”
even with name change i will continue to refer to is as “the juice box”
The “ice box” nickname (Daikin manufactures air conditioners) floating around social media is actually pretty great, ha.
I’ve also seen “the condenser unit” going around, which I kinda like better.
Hope the Yankees and Dodgers always play at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium.
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.
No more Juice Box.
Same values as Astros… making money
News flash: Every company is in business to make money.
Rogers Center in Toronto needs to partner with Hoover or Dyson to reflect the dollar vacuum nature of the customer experience….
We all know it’s going to be called The Dike, right?
There’s an idea.
Steve Cohen: How’s this grab you? Soto Park.
Juan Soto: Where do I sign?
I’m still waiting for a ballpark to be named Burger King Stadium, Jack in the Box Field, McDonald’s Stadium.
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.
depletion: It’s also a very big white, hot, Japanese radish.
No, avenger, that’s daikOn
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.
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.
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.
Would Trojan Enz Field have to be a dome?
No class left in major league baseball.