Rays Stadium Deal Collapse Sparks Uncertainty: What’s Next for Team?

The fallout of the Rays’ decision to walk away from the deal to build a $1.3 billion stadium contains many more questions than answers, and plenty of tough choices ahead for the MLB club, the league, and Tampa-area political leaders. 

Foremost among those questions following the collapse of the ballpark deal is what happens to the Rays. There are several primary potential paths for the club, each of them riddled with complications. Here are the leading options.

A New Stadium Deal in Tampa Area

The Rays suggested a desire to construct a revised pact that “serves the best interests” of all involved. MLB, similarly, said in a statement that commissioner Rob Manfred “will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders, and Rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.” The league has long been reluctant to give up on a growing locale that has become the No. 11 U.S. media market in Nielsen rankings. 

There’s immediate resistance to a new stadium pact, however, from local leaders, who in multiple cases likened the split with the Rays to exiting a bad marriage. “Why would I go back to the same [ownership] group and trust them this time?” said St. Petersburg (Fla.) Mayor Ken Welch. “That bridge has been burned.” Other area leaders such as Tampa Mayor Jane Castor struck a cautious tone, and she said any new ballpark proposal in that city “has to make sense for our taxpayers and community.”

Sell the Team

There’s already growing pressure for Rays owner Stu Sternberg to do exactly that, with some within MLB growing more frustrated with the ongoing delays and drama. Welch, for his part, said he would restart the stadium talks with a different owner. “If there’s a new ownership group, I’m perfectly willing to have those conversations,” he said.

The Rays, though considering potential sales of minority club positions, insist they are not parting with a controlling stake.

“The team’s not for sale,” Rays president Matt Silverman said on WDAE-FM. “I think Stu gets a bad rap, because he is the only guy for the last 20 years who has defended Tampa Bay, who has stood up for this market, who says we need to figure something out here.”

Those sentiments haven’t stopped a growing collection of prospective bidding groups from forming and publicly expressing their interest in buying the Rays.  

Relocate: Orlando? Nashville?

There have been only two MLB club relocations since 1971: the Expos moving from Montreal to Washington in late 2004 to become the Nationals, and the ongoing, two-stage shift of the A’s from Oakland to Sacramento and ultimately Las Vegas.  

An Orlando-based group, the Dreamers, has quietly sought an MLB club for several years but are amplifying their pitch for the Rays to move by just about 100 miles. The group announced Friday it has private commitments of more than $1 billion toward a $1.7 billion domed ballpark. Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin recently joined the Orlando effort as an ambassador.

Numerous other cities such as Nashville, Salt Lake City, Raleigh, Montreal, and Charlotte have either made formal pitches for an MLB club or have been discussed as potential market candidates. A club relocation, however, could complicate long-term league expansion plans, and outside of Orlando, would also likely require a sizable recalibration of MLB’s territorial map and local media footprint—an issue that complicated the Nationals’ situation for 20 years.

Do Nothing

The Rays will play this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees, and want to return to hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field in 2026. It’s not yet certain, however, whether that repair timetable is possible. Even if it is, the team’s lease there expires after the 2027 season. 

Striking even a short-term extension for additional seasons at the city-owned Tropicana Field is problematic. Without an ownership change, St. Petersburg could be reluctant to approve another lease deal, and regardless of who owns the club, the revenue-generating ability of the facility is limited at best.