One of Illinois’ top lawmakers would like to convince the St. Louis Cardinals to move across the river. Cardinals lobbyist John Bardgett says the Cardinals would like to stay in downtown St. Louis, even though the city provides the team with only 7% of its season ticket holders. Bardgett says that is where all of the team’s negotiations are focused. The Cardinals are willing to put up $100 million plus the land for a new $370 million stadium. They’ve had difficulty getting the city of St. Louis to also pay for a portion. If they do that, Bardgett says they’ll ask Missouri lawmakers to pay for the rest by letting the team keep sales taxes generated at games.
