Angels meet with city of Tustin to discuss stadium deal

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Dissatisfied over negotiations with the city of Anaheim, Angels owner Arte Moreno met with officials from the city of Tustin earlier this week to discuss the possibility of building a new stadium, a team spokesman confirmed Saturday.

Marie Garvey, a consultant hired by the Angels last year to handle stadium issues, said talks with Tustin are still in the "infancy stages."

"We're still in discussions with the city of Anaheim, but we have to look at all of our options," Garvey said. "They [the city of Anaheim] are exploring all of their options, and we're doing the same."

A potential site in Tustin could be the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station, which would be accessible via three highways -- the 5, 405 and 55 -- and is across the street from the Tustin Metrolink train station, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Tustin is the first city the Angels have met with, but they could meet with others soon. Their preference, Garvey said, is to stay in Orange County -- be it Angel Stadium, where they've been since 1966, or another city.

The Angels can opt out of their current deal, which expires in 2029, at any point between October '16 and October '19.

In September, the Anaheim City Council approved a non-binding framework for a deal in which the Angels could commit $150 million to improve the infrastructure of the city's 48-year-old ballpark in return for the right to develop the surrounding 153 acres of land for $1 a year. Moreno said Friday those talks were "at a stalemate."