Tampa Bay Rays: New stadium search after sale, according to Manfred

Tampa Bay Rays: New stadium on the horizon after team sale

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has indicated that the Tampa Bay Rays will likely begin a new search for a stadium location in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area once the team’s sale is finalized. Stu Sternberg, the club’s owner since 2005, has been negotiating the sale of the Rays to a group led by Patrick Zalupski. In recent years, the Rays have seen several stadium deals fall through.

With new ownership, I think you have to assume it’s a clean slate, that they’re going to decide on location, that they’re going to have to build and establish relationships and contacts with people throughout the region to decide where the best place for the stadium is in order for the Rays to be successful long term.

Rob Manfred

The Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg has been the home of Tampa Bay since its inception in 1998, and the Rays have been among the teams with the lowest attendance. Currently, the Rays are playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training field of the New York Yankees, while Tropicana is being repaired after the damage caused in October by Hurricane Milton. Manfred highlighted the “promising developments” in Tampa and believes that the sale to a group with “deep roots” in the city would be a “definitive positive development” for the future of the franchise. Under Sternberg’s direction, the Rays announced stadium plans at the Al Lang Stadium site in St. Petersburg (2007), Ybor City in Tampa (2018), and adjacent to Tropicana in downtown St. Petersburg (2023), but they did not materialize. In March, the Rays withdrew from the latest $1.3 billion project, citing the hurricane and delays, and initiated sale talks. Manfred expressed his desire for the Rays to remain in the area.

I think Florida is the right place for that team. I think there are opportunities in the Tampa Bay region that can be exploited to get a new stadium and keep the team there. They are going to have the same options as the previous owner in terms of one side or the other.

Rob Manfred

The commissioner expects the Rays to return to Tropicana next year from Steinbrenner Field, where as of Tuesday there were 16 rain delays affecting 15 games for a total of 14 hours and 51 minutes. Manfred has mentioned that MLB will consider expanding from 30 to 32 teams once the Rays and Athletics have new stadiums. Construction of the Athletics’ stadium in Las Vegas began this year and is scheduled to open in 2028. As part of the expansion, MLB could consider a restructuring. Manfred noted that the owners are more open to considering restructuring than when he first got involved in baseball in the 1990s. Manfred, who took office as commissioner in 2015, would like to make a decision on expansion before his current term expires in January 2029. Expansion could lead to a restructuring to reduce travel and create a schedule and postseason format with more regional games. However, expansion remains uncertain.