Manfred Urges Patience on Rays Ballpark, Eyes MLB Media Shift

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is stressing the need for patience with a hurricane-battered Tampa region weighing whether to still fund the Rays’ planned $1.3 billion ballpark. 

“We got thrown, and the Rays got thrown, a curveball by weather developments,” Manfred said, speaking with reporters during owners meetings happening this week in New York. “I’m hopeful that we’re able to work through the situation in Tampa Bay. … Given the devastation in that area, it’s only fair to give the local governments an opportunity to figure out where they are, what they have available in terms of resources, and what’s doable.”

The commissioner’s comments Wednesday arrived a day after the Pinellas County, Fla., commission delayed for a second time a vote to issue bonds to fund part of the stadium, throwing the project again into doubt. The county commission will revisit the bond issue, which would supply $312.5 million toward stadium construction, on Dec. 17.

But Manfred, striking a different tone than the club’s more downcast comments this week to local officials, reiterated that the league is fully committed to the Tampa region. Playing a second year in a temporary facility, should it become necessary, would require clarity on stadium funding.

A New Day in Local Media?

MLB, meanwhile, continues to revisit the notion of ultimately amassing a pool of teams’ local media rights to pursue a more centralized and nationalized strategy, somewhat akin to what the NFL does. Manfred has spent many months pursuing this, and the number of teams in the league-run model now is up to seven after the Brewers, Guardians, Reds, and Twins in recent weeks joined the incumbent Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies.

A key timetable on that will be in four years when existing national rights contracts with ESPN, Fox, and TNT Sports all are due to expire (there is an earlier, mutual opt-out in the ESPN deal after next season). But pooling a greater number of local rights by then, along with national rights, would open up more possibilities as MLB goes out to market.

Such a move, however, also contemplates a fundamental reshaping of MLB’s revenue flow, which has huge ramifications both internally and with the MLB Players Association. The current collective bargaining agreement with the players expires in December 2026, and the next labor pact will likely bridge over that key media timeline. 

“There’s an overwhelming sense of relief that the [Diamond Sports Group] bankruptcy is to a conclusion, and we have some certainty with respect to who’s going to be with MLB Media,” Manfred said. “We did a pretty good job in terms of maximizing the economics for the clubs. We never lost a game, and we have a lot of flexibility come 2028, which was our primary focus.”

Pinstripe Power

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner insisted the club is still a viable contender to retain free-agent outfielder Juan Soto. The 26-year-old has been meeting in recent days with several MLB teams and their owners, all in preparation for a deal that is likely to exceed $600 million and become the second-largest pact in U.S. sports history, and perhaps the biggest in present-day value. The Yankees have been among that group, and Steinbrenner called the roughly two-hour session with Soto and agent Scott Boras “a very honest, back-and-forth dialogue.”

“We’re in a better position than we were a year ago. There’s no doubt about that,” Steinbrenner said of the Yankees’ financial wherewithal. “We’ve got the ability to sign any player we want to sign.”

Steinbrenner added that he is well aware of the pressure surrounding the pursuit of Soto—particularly as he competes with teams such as the World Series champion Dodgers, the aggressive Phillies, and the crosstown Mets, backed by the league’s richest owner, Steve Cohen, and a new, joy-filled vibe that departs from that franchise’s angst-filled history.

“I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me,” Steinbrenner said. 

Other News

• Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is expected to be part of the 2025 international signing class beginning Jan. 15, which would involve reset bonus pools for all 30 clubs.
• Testing will begin during spring training on an automatic ball-strike challenge system, with an eye toward potential MLB use in 2026. 
• Manfred said the A’s are still “full steam ahead” on plans to construct a new ballpark in Las Vegas with a 2028 opening. 

“I understand there seems to be some sense of doubt that persists out there, but [A’s owner] John Fisher is completely committed to the process. … They’ve gone through the process of demonstrating that whether or not he takes on local partners, he has the capacity to build the stadium,” Manfred said.