Houston Astros to Rename Minute Maid Park in Megadeal

The Houston Astros will be playing their home games under a new stadium name.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros will officially have a new sponsor for their home ballpark with the team officially announcing a new partnership, bringing to an end over 20 years of baseball at Minute Maid Park.

Coca-Cola secured the naming rights to what was known at the time as Astros Field after the team moved on from the name Enron Field, which it held from its opening in 2000 until 2002. Once Coca-Cola acquired the rights, the soda and beverage conglomerate changed the name to Minute Maid Park that summer and it stuck ever since.

But, the name is now changing.

According to a post made to the team's official social media channels, Daikin will be the new sponsorship of the 41,000 seat stadium which will now be known as Daikin Park.

Daikin is an air conditioning manufacturer which both creates and sells heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) products.

Daikin Park.

Coming January 2025 pic.twitter.com/8NJbm9cEu1

— Houston Astros (@astros) November 18, 2024

The original agreement with Coca Cola was supposed to run through 2029, but Houston ended it early without revealing why.

“We are excited to be partnering with Daikin for our ballpark’s naming rights,” said team owner Jim Crane in a statement. “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.”

Daikin is based out of Osaka, Japan but has a major headquarters based in Houston, making it a natural fit to provide the naming rights to the stadium of one of the city's most iconic teams.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that the agreement with the HVACR giant is for 15 years.

Minute Maid Park will be missed tremendously by fans as it has seen four World Series appearances and two championships under that name, but perhaps a new legacy can be established under the Daikin umbrella, and it will be a name that fans eventually warm up to.