Rays Give Unsettling Update on Relocation Plans

The Tampa Bay Rays' last resort for staying in their market was a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

They announced on Thursday that it is abandoning its plans to build that ballpark.

The Rays had a March 31 deadline to fulfill obligations required to secure $600 million in public funding for the project. However, the team was responsible for any cost overruns beyond its $700 million commitment and cited delays in legislative approval of public bonds as a financial burden it could not shoulder alone.

“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” said Rays owner Stu Sternberg in his statement. “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.”

Both the city of Tampa Bay and Pinellas County declined to consider additional funding, especially after last year’s severe hurricane damage, maintaining that they had already fulfilled their commitments under the ballpark agreement reached last summer.

Now ownership faces immense pressure to sell the franchise as several groups have come out to express interest in purchasing the Rays. 

In the meantime, the Rays will play the 2025 season at the New York Yankees spring training ballpark in Tampa Bay, George M. Steinbrenner Field. 

They are projected to return to Tropicana Field in 2026, but the long-term outlook of the team is in much doubt. 

“While the decision of Tampa Bay Rays ownership to terminate the agreements for a new stadium and new development is a major disappointment, it is not unexpected. Nor is it the end of the Historic Gas Plant District story,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. “The city will continue to pursue all avenues that will help us deliver on our ultimate goal: utilizing the HGPD property to benefit the community and fulfilling the 40-year-old promises of economic development and opportunity made to the African-American community.”