Amid Rays Stadium Turmoil, Sternberg Faces Wide Pressure to Sell

The hits just keep coming for the embattled Rays, with club owner Stu Sternberg now reportedly under league pressure to sell the franchise. 

The Athletic reported that Sternberg is being pressed by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and a group of other owners to sell the Rays. The news arrives three weeks before the club is due to meet certain obligations that will release $600 million in public bond funds for a planned $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

That public funding arrived after a sizable lobbying push late last year by Manfred, who traveled to Florida and met personally with numerous local officials. Sternberg and other Rays leaders, however, are objecting to additional costs that are entering the ballpark plan. Those expenses are the responsibility of the team, but the Rays’ claims are primarily the result of delays by the city and, particularly, by Pinellas County in approving the bonds. 

It remains quite possible that Sternberg and the Rays will walk away from the stadium deal—to the point that St. Petersburg leaders have already said they are prepared to move on without the club. Both county and city officials have shown no willingness to supply more money to the Rays, and have repeatedly insisted they have met their obligations in the ballpark deal. 

“It is no accident this got leaked how and when it did,” said Pinellas County commissioner Chris Latvala about Sternberg in a social media post. “And there should be no question what side MLB is on. Stu is on an island and has been for a few months.”

Sternberg and the Rays have not substantively responded to the report, telling The Athletic, “I’m interested to read about what industry partners have told you about our franchise and its future.”

Other Suitors

Amid the issues for Sternberg and the Rays, several potential bidders have circled the situation and are signaling their interest in the club. Former Yankees managing general partner Joe Molloy has mounted an effort to buy the Rays, and said he intends to maintain the St. Petersburg ballpark deal.

“The team has plans to stay in St. Petersburg, and we are fully committed to building on the great work that the city and county have already accomplished,” Molloy told the Tampa Bay Times.

Other groups are also said to be interested in the Rays, including one led by Tampa businessman and former Rays suitor Dan Doyle Jr.

In the meantime, the Rays are also wrestling with their temporary stay at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees, and repairs to the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field.