The story behind the Reds sharing a spring training complex with the Guardians

The calendar has flipped to February, and the trucks will soon be leaving Cincinnati headed for Goodyear. The Cincinnati Reds moved their spring training facility from Florida to Arizona in 2010 after spending more than a century in the Sunshine State before the start of the regular season.

The Reds followed their Buckeye brethren out west, and Cincinnati now shares a spring training facility with the Cleveland Guardians. Cincinnati's in-state rival began holding their spring practices inside the newly-opened Goodyear Ballpark in 2009, and the Reds followed them a year later.

Sharing a spring training complex isn't unique to just the Reds and Guardians. There are several other organizations — both in Florida and Arizona — who do the same. No other spring facility, however, houses rivals from the state.

How did the Reds and Guardians end up sharing a spring training complex?

But why did the Reds leave their spring home in Florida? The answer is rather simple, and also complex. The Reds used to train at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida, and after 20 years of hosting Major League spring training, the facility was in need of renovations. Unfortunately, the stadium renovation project fell apart after city officials pulled out of the deal. The Reds then had no choice but to find a new training venue.

In need of a new spring home, the Reds were lured away to Goodyear, Arizona after city officials offered Cincinnati an up-to-date complex with modern amenities. The Reds finished up their Grapefruit League experience on April 2, 2009 and began Cactus League play the following year.

Ironically, the Baltimore Orioles reached an agreement with the city of Sarasota — one that included renovations to Ed Smith Stadium — just one year after the Reds left. The O's now call south-central Florida home during the months of February and March.

While the trek out west is a much more difficult one for Reds fans to make every spring, the facility itself is top-notch, and most players prefer to ease of travel throughout the Cactus League stadiums as opposed to the long drives required for the teams who base their operations in Florida.

So while the Reds' jump to Arizona makes little-to-no sense geographically, there was a method to the madness. For all those fans hoping to see the Reds move back east, it's hard to see the team returning to Florida for spring training anytime in the near future.