Tampa Bay Rays will not advance the development of the $1.3 billion baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, citing hurricanes and costly delays.
“After careful deliberation, we concluded that we cannot advance the new ballpark and development projects at this time,” Sternberg said in a statement. “The series of events that began in October could not have predicted that anyone would lead to this difficult decision.
“Our commitment to vitality and success for the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding ballpark solutions that will serve the greatest benefits of our region, major league baseball, and the organization.”
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Under the current contract with the city of St. Petersburg, the Rays will play three more seasons at Tropicana Field after being repaired from serious damage in October – they will not be able to play the stadium in 2025 when the roof was shredded during Hurricane Milton.
Beyond that, the future of the team in the Tampa Bay Area is uncertain.
“Major League Baseball remains committed to finding permanent homes for Tampa Bay area clubs for their fans and the community,” MLB said in a statement. “Commissioner (Rob) Manfred understands the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community since today’s announcement, but we will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders and Rays officials to ensure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay area.”
The proposal to replace the outdated Tropicana Field as a signature piece to build a 30,000-seat stadium and revitalize the historic gas factory district with $6.5 billion, came across excitement last summer when teams and civil servants announced their contracts.
Local government agencies had approved the sale of shares and approved the payment of shares, but Rays was there until March 31 to meet certain conditions to obtain public funding.
However, the delay in fundraising led to Sternberg’s decision not to proceed.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said it was the driving force that was called the “stay here” initiative aimed at maintaining the city’s rays for another 30 years, a decision that was disappointing, but “it’s not unexpected.” He also noted that the rays could be sold.
“In the coming months, new owners will be looking at partnerships to keep baseball in St. Pete to maintain baseball, but we are waiting for a collaborative and community focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
The Rays will use Tampa’s New York Yankees spring training site as their home field this season, and Sternberg said Thursday that the city of St. Petersburg is moving forward with plans to restore Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 season.
“We are grateful for their efforts and are excited to return to our home field next spring,” Sternberg said.
The Rays, who played for Tropicana Field since their first season in 1998, averaged 16,515 fans in 81 home games last season.
MLB and Rays can assess attendees and fans’ interest during the team’s season at Tampa at Steinbrenner Field to consider alternative sites.
“The opportunity to play on the Tampa side can provide insight into the overall Tampa Bay market, which could help the club move forward,” Manfred said in an interview Wednesday with the Associated Press.
Associated Press and field-level media contributed to this report.
