ST. PETERSBURG— Bill Edwards' cash — $1.5 million, to be exact — to fix up Al Lang Stadium is what helped change attitudes at City Hall about his management of the facility.

Once firm in the opinion that baseball should always have a place along St. Petersburg's waterfront, city officials now agree with the Tampa Bay Rowdies owner that soccer should reign supreme at the former spring training mecca.

The deal reached between Edwards and Mayor Rick Kriseman last week to turn over management of the historic venue to Edwards for four years still requires City Council approval Thursday.

That should be a fairly easy sell, said council member Charlie Gerdes, even if the way Edwards gained control of the stadium left some hard feelings.

"That building needs some serious and significant attention in terms of resources, and if that can come from a private source instead of taxpayers, that's a good thing," Gerdes said.

But Gerdes took issue with Edwards' decision in July to file a lawsuit against the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission, the current operator at Al Lang, shortly after the council spent $250,000 to upgrade the turf.

"I didn't think that was the appropriate way to try to work these things out," he said.

Edwards hasn't responded to requests for comment but released a statement calling the deal a "win-win" for the team and the city. "If council approves the agreement, we are committed to honoring the special history of Al Lang Stadium, building on the Rowdies' great success and bringing many other activities to the city," it stated.

Kriseman has touted the deal as a way to spruce up Al Lang while the city considers the stadium's long-term future.

Edwards' pledged investment helped persuade him to give up on baseball there, too.

Edwards' $1.5 million offer was "very generous," Kriseman spokesman Ben Kirby said. "That definitely drove the thinking."

Edwards is slated to provide a list of specific improvements he will make to the nearly 70-year-old stadium soon, and the work will be required to be done in the first couple of years of the agreement, said Joe Zeoli, the city's downtown enterprise facilities director, and administration and finance managing director.

Fixing the water leaks that have plagued the locker rooms and fixing the seats are expected to be among the upgrades, city officials said.

If Edwards doesn't complete the repairs, the deal would be terminated, Zeoli said.

Edwards would also hold up to 10 other events at the stadium each year, which could mean sports like lacrosse or music events.

It's possible baseball could make a comeback, though, as city officials are eager to hear from the public during the waterfront master plan process about the sport's future along the water, Zeoli said.

For now, Al Lang has seen its final line drive — any games already scheduled by the baseball commission will be moved elsewhere, Zeoli said.

Officials with the baseball commission have not returned repeated calls for comment since last week's announcement.

If a big enough baseball opportunity arises, the city will approach Edwards to see if he'd be willing to allow it, Zeoli said.

For now, Walter Fuller Baseball Complex in Jungle Terrace and Huggins-Stengel Field at Crescent Lake will be adequate short-term solutions for baseball, he said.

"We're pretty confident we can accommodate the existing program," Zeoli said.

Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this report. Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459. Follow @CharlieFrago.