With the lasting impact of the rays on the Tropicana fields during Hurricane Milton, owner Stu Sternberg announced this morning that his club will no longer adopt the previous tentative plan to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg. The team’s statement is as follows:
“As we all recover from the impact of the hurricane, we are very grateful for the support of our fans and the wider Tampa Bay community. … After careful consideration, we concluded that we are currently unable to continue with new courses and developments. A series of events starting in October, no one could have anticipated this difficult decision.
Our commitment to the vitality and success of ray tissue is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a course solution for the best interests of our region, Major League Baseball and the organization. The City of St. Petersburg is currently advancing plans to resume Tropicana Stadium in the 2026 season. We appreciate their efforts and are happy to be back at our home court next spring. ”
After the Ray announcement, Major League Baseball issued the following statement:
“MLB remains committed to finding a permanent residence for clubs in the Tampa Bay area for their fans and local communities to find. Commissioner Manfred learned of the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community from today’s announcement, but he will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders and ray officials to ensure the future of clubs in the Tampa Bay area.”
[Related: Rays Are “Not For Sale,” St. Petersburg Mayor Says “Bridge Has Been Burned”]
Last summer, Rays reached a tentative agreement to build a new $1.3 billion stadium, a historic gas plant site near the existing Tropicana Field, a larger $6.5 billion reconstruction project. The enclosed 30,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open in 2028, and Rays, Pinellas County and St. Petersburg also agreed to the development plan. The city council and county commissions still need to sign the plan and various benchmarks are needed along the way to ensure that the stadium plan will remain on track.
Of course, Mother Nature has other intentions. Hurricane Milton has caused great damage in the Tropicana fields, and when evaluating the cost of chopped roofs in the Tropicana fields, the rays are at least in the 2025 season where there is no match. The Yankees agreed to allow the Rays to host home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the home of the team’s A-level branch, in the upcoming 2025 campaign. The plan remains.
But even a short-term move to a location outside of Pinellas County has confused some of the county committee. From the reasons for the hurricane damages and the time required to resolve the logistical nightmare during the November election cycle changed the composition of the board to approve the approval of the necessary bonds to advance the project, which led to a delay in the plan that was already an arranged new facility. These delays also ultimately resulted in back and forth between rays played during the offseason (President Sternberg and Matt Silverman) and Pinellas County. Sternberg admitted in November that relocation was a possible outcome given the new quarrel with local governments.
The 2028 stadium and surrounding developments were abandoned due to the recent background of pressure not only from other owners, but also for Sternberg to sell the franchise. Evan Drellich of the sport wrote over the weekend that Major League Baseball wants to retain Florida’s light with a focus on staying in St. Petersburg or building new facilities in Ibor near downtown Tampa, a location where the Rays have previously explored. According to Drellich, Orlando is also known as the alternative.
At this juncture, the team’s focus is clearly on returning to Tropicana Field for the 2026 campaign. However, at best, it seems to be a short-term solution. The leases for rays in their long-term homes were initially operated in the 2027 season, although the expiration date was delayed by a season after rays could not be played there in 2025. .Now the construction of their new gas plant area has built the construction of their new gas plant house, but it matches their original lease expectations in the Tropicana field. Drellich and ESPN’s Jeff Passan have reported over the past week that potential buyers would line up if the franchise was sold, but Sternberg has made it clear in the past that he does not intend to sell the club.
“If it’s (for sale), people will know.” “I’ve been there all the time, and I’ll continue to be transparent about our intentions. And it’s pretty — not pretty — but very honest with them. I’ve been.”
