- A deal to build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays fell through.
- Pressure is reportedly mounting on the Rays owner to sell the team.
- Salt Lake City is among cities looking to land a major league baseball franchise.
Pressure on the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays to sell the team might be mounting after a proposal for a new stadium in St. Petersburg fell through.
And there’s also a possibility the franchise relocates if ownership changes hands, with several cities, including Salt Lake City, looking to bring Major League Baseball to their markets.
Front Office Sports reported Thursday that the Rays' days in the Tampa area could be numbered after the club announced it is not moving forward with a plan to build a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg.
“The franchise had a March 31 deadline to meet certain obligations to release $600 million in public funds toward the planned stadium. The Rays, however, would be responsible for cost overruns beyond its $700 million contribution, and say that delays in the legislative approval of those public bonds introduced additional costs they cannot bear alone,” according to the story.
The Rays’ owner, Stu Sternberg, said in a statement that after careful deliberation the club concluded it could not move forward.
“A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision. Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interest of our region, Major League Baseball and our organization,” he said.
Hurricane Milton last October shredded the top of Tropicana Field, where the team plays its home games. Planned repairs would have it ready for the 2026 season. The Rays will play their home games this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
But the longterm future of the team is unclear.
Will the Rays be on the move?
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and some other owners are pressuring Sternberg to the sell the team, The Athletic reported earlier this week, citing people briefed on ownership-level conversations who were not authorized to speak publicly.
According to Forbes' 2024 MLB team valuations, the Rays are worth $1.25 billion, ranking 27th among the league’s 30 teams. The club had the third-lowest attendance last year at 16,515 per game, according to Baseball Reference.
“If the team is sold, MLB ultimately wants the franchise to remain in Florida, with an eye on the Ybor City neighborhood near downtown Tampa if St. Petersburg does not work out. People briefed on the process pointed to Orlando as a possibility as well,” according to The Athletic.
CBS Sports reported that Hall of Famer Barry Larkin recently joined the Orlando Dreamers, a group trying to lure a franchise to Orlando. In addition to a potential expansion franchise, the Dreamers have also previously expressed interest in bringing the Rays to Orlando.
The Orlando group is one of several trying bring a big league team to a new city. Others include the Portland Diamond Project in Portland, Oregon; Big League Utah in Salt Lake City, and Music City Baseball in Nashville. Montreal is under consideration as well.
“Point is, yes, relocation is on the table for the Rays. Maybe more than ever. That will continue to be true until shovels are in the ground in St. Petersburg, Tampa or the surrounding area,” Mike Axisa wrote for CBS Sports.
Salt Lake City waiting on deck
In Salt Lake City, the Larry H. Miller Company threw Utah into the possible expansion mix nearly three years ago, backed by a coalition of prominent politicians, business and community leaders and former pro athletes. The company is moving forward with a $3.5 billion mixed-use development, which includes plans for a major league stadium, on Salt Lake City’s west side.
“We have done everything we can to this point to be the most prepared market for potential expansion and we’ll continue to do that,” Steve Starks, Miller Company CEO, told the Deseret News last fall.
The Miller Company pitched the A’s on temporarily moving to a new minor league stadium it is building for the Triple A Salt Lake Bees south of Salt Lake City. In addition to giving the A’s a place to play until the Las Vegas stadium opens, it would serve as a showcase for Utah’s ability to sustain an MLB club. The A’s ultimately settled on Sacramento as an interim home.
Miller executives have focused mostly on getting an expansion team, though they don’t have to look far to see Utah coming to the rescue of struggling major sports team. A year ago last month, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith bought the homeless Arizona Coyotes and moved the NHL franchise, now rebranded as the Utah Hockey Club, to Salt Lake City, .
Uncertainty about the Rays' permanent home also figures into the possibility of major league expansion. Manfred has said it wouldn’t be considered until the Rays and the Oakland A’s resolved their stadium issues. The A’s appeared headed to Las Vegas where a new stadium is in the works for the 2028 season.
Manfred has also said he anticipates having a two-team expansion process in place by January 2029, when his term as commissioner ends. A new team wouldn’t begin play until at least 2031.