Nats, Astros said to be talking about new spring home

By Bill Ladson

February 18, 2014

VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals are in talks with the Astros about sharing a Spring Training facility, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Giles Kibbe, the Astros' general counsel, said he recently had talks with the Nationals. The Astros would like to leave Kissimmee, Fla., after the 2016 season, while the Nationals would like to move their facility closer to other teams. Washington's lease at Space Coast Stadium expires at the end of 2017.

Kibbe told McTaggart that he met with Palm Beach County representatives last week. The Nationals declined to comment on the talks.

"As a policy, the Washington Nationals do not publicly comment on pending or ongoing business discussions," the team said through a spokesman. "We are in the process of finding the best long-term options for a Spring Training and player-development facility, and public comment would be premature and unfair to that process."

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats.