What is the future of the Rays in Tampa Bay?
When could a new stadium be ready? Will the Rays play at Tropicana Field again? Could they move? Here’s what we know and what we don’t know yet.
The Pinellas County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to fund $312.5 million in bonds Tuesday night. What sounds like a simple procedural move was far from it. Over the past six weeks, the $1.3 billion stadium deal for the Tampa Bay Rayscelebrated in July by all parties as a watershed moment for a franchise that had spent nearly two decades trying to build a new ballpark, has found itself in jeopardy. And it all started on October 29.
Less than three weeks after Hurricane Milton smashed through the roof of Tropicana Field and caused tens of billions of dollars more in damage on Oct. 10, the Pinellas commission met to approve the bonds needed for the new stadium. What the Rays thought would be a simple nod turned into a disaster when the commission postponed the vote. Although commissioners said the delay was because they wanted to know where the Rays would play in 2025 (they would name George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Rays’ minor league stadium, in mid-November). New York Yankees outside of Pinellas County in Tampa, as their new temporary home), the team felt betrayed.
Thus began a tug of war in which both parties blamed each other. The bond delay, the Rays said, would delay the stadium’s opening until 2029, instead of 2028 as planned. Additional construction costs, the team said, would be excessive. One of the county commissioners, Chris Latvala, told the Tampa Bay Times that the Rays estimated the cost at $200 million. To complete the project, the Rays said, they would need additional financial assistance from their project partners, Pinellas County and the city of St. Petersburg, where the new stadium would be located, on the same site as the Trop but with a development billionaire around him.
The commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfredtraveled to Florida last week in an attempt to shore up the growing division between the parties. Latvala, who had previously voted against the deal, voted for it Tuesday night, he told the Times, because of Manfred’s promise that the Rays would stay in Tampa Bay. Latvala went on to criticize Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, saying, “I hope our vote today helps set the wheels in motion for a new owner and a new era for the Tampa Bay Rays.”
Another commissioner, Rene Flowers, framed the vote as a call for the Rays to also show their commitment. The team can terminate the agreement at any time. With the county money promised, as well as $287.5 million from St. Petersburg in a 4-3 city council vote, Flowers told the Times: “All eyes will now be on to ensure the Rays do their part.” of this agreement”.
Where does everything go from here? Here’s everything you need to know about the status of the project, what the future looks like for Tropicana Field and whether the Rays could find another home.
What stands between the Rays and the possibility of building a new stadium in St. Petersburg?
Apart from politics and money? Oh, not much.
Certainly, the chaotic start to the partnership does not bode well for better relations in the future. But if the sides can reach an agreement on a number of issues – namely, the “funding gap” that the Rays say the commission caused by the delay and how the Trop fits into the future – a new stadium remains possible. . St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch strongly supports the project, but Flowers said Tuesday he was against the commission giving more money.
After Tuesday night’s vote, Rays president Matt Silvermanissued a statement saying: “It was not surprising to see the commissioners recognize how important the Tampa Bay Rays and our stadium development agreement for this community and its citizens. As we have made clear, the county’s delay has caused completion of the ballpark to be delayed until 2029. As a result, the cost of the project has increased significantly, and we cannot absorb this increase alone. “When the county and city want to participate, we will be ready to solve this funding gap together.”
What is the timeline for deciding whether to build a new stadium?
In order for the bonds to be sold, the Rays must meet a series of conditions. The most important is for the team to demonstrate that it has the money to cover its obligation to pay stadium costs. The team has until March 31, 2025 to comply with the conditions. It is expected that the MLB gave the team a $100 million loan, and the Rays have expressed confidence that they have the financing for the rest of the money.
What is the status of Tropicana Field? Will the Rays ever play there again?
Eighteen of the stadium’s 24 fiberglass roof panels were blown off during Hurricane Milton. The stadium, long derided as outdated and too empty for a franchise as good as the Rays, was transformed overnight into the lasting image of the storm’s damage.
St. Petersburg is required to repair the stadium. The city estimated it can do it in time for the 2026 season for $55.7 million. On Wednesday, the city council pledged $1.4 million toward rebuilding plans.
The Rays’ position is that the Trop would not be ready until the final year of its lease in 2027, and that the damage done to the stadium, beyond the roof, is too exceptional. Part of the calculus going forward is whether the parties continue to rebuild the Trop or consider taking the money promised for its repair and offering it to help cover the funding gap.
If the proposed stadium won’t open until 2029, could the Rays play at Steinbrenner Field until then?
It is very unlikely. The Rays are treating Steinbrenner as a stopover, similar to how the Oakland Athletics are using another minor league stadium, Sutter Health Park, to establish themselves before their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.
It’s not just weather concerns, but also the combination of extreme heat and rain in the summer that consequently has the Rays on the road for 35 of 48 games between July 4 and the end of August. Dislodging a minor league affiliate from an organization in the same division is simply something that is not likely to be agreed upon for an extended period of time.
Where would the Rays play then?
Good question. Would MLB give them permission to work in a city that could be a possible expansion? Could they find a place to play in Pinellas County for three more years? Is Omaha, which the Wall Street Journal reported could host the Rays, really a possibility? Everything is uncertain. Just as important as the next few years is what comes after. The goal is for the Rays to know where they will be in 2028 and 2029 as early as 2026. Although, as the A’s showed this year, those types of schedules tend to be more fluid than the “deadlines” suggest.
Suppose that somewhere along the way the St. Petersburg stadium fails. Would Tampa be a viable option?
As things are, no. The Rays have explored stadium options in Hillsborough County in the past, but their efforts fell through.
Hillsborough voters renewed a half-cent sales tax in November, but the expectation is that money for the stadium will go to the NFL’s Buccaneers, whose lease at Raymond James Stadium expires in 2028.
If, for some reason, Pinellas County is ruled out, perhaps Hillsborough and the city of Tampa will take a different tack with the Rays. However, for now, while the stadium agreement remains in effect, the team is not allowed to engage with other municipalities. It’s a point of leverage that theoretically pushes the Rays toward a deal, because without the ability to pursue options outside of Pinellas, terminating the deal would carry additional risk.
In that case, would Sternberg look to relocate the team?
In mid-November, he told the Times that relocation “is not an unlikely conclusion.” It is not yet known whether Sternberg would sell the Rays to someone committed to keeping the team in the Tampa Bay area, continue to own the team if he moved, or sell it to a new owner who plans to move.
Would MLB owners allow them to move?
Maybe. The Rays’ attempts to build a new stadium have lasted 17 years. A similar failure to secure a stadium in Oakland led MLB to greenlight the A’s move to Las Vegas. The owners view the Tampa Bay market favorably, so the preference is for an MLB team to remain there, something that is reinforced by Manfred’s efforts.
At least 23 of the league’s 30 owners must vote in favor of a possible move.
What would be the most likely destinations if the Rays move?
The usual suspects: Nashville, Tennessee; Salt Lake City; Charlotte, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Let’s not forget Montreal. In 2019, the Rays received permission from MLB to explore the possibility of splitting their home games between the Tampa Bay area and Montreal. In January 2022, the MLB executive council scrapped the proposed plan.
How would the Rays’ move affect MLB’s future expansion schedule?
They are inextricably linked. Manfred’s commitment to keeping baseball in the Tampa Bay area would involve keeping the Rays in the city now or approving their move to a new city and offering an expansion franchise when baseball decides to go from 30 to 32 teams. The league has not taken any formal steps to expand. Manfred has long said he wants the A’s and Rays’ stadium problems resolved before the league expands. Given how quickly what seemed like a Rays win in a stadium deal was jeopardized, the desire for clarity seems increasingly justified.
