Tampa Bay Rays has made the “difficult decision” to stop an estimated stadium of $ 1.3 billion and soil development. The project would have secured the future of the MLB club in Skt. Petersburg, Florida, with an advanced ballpark next to Tropicana Field.
Rays’ current home is undergoing repairs after the roof of the stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in October. The rays will welcome visitors teams to Steinbrenner Field in 2025. The 11,000-seat ballpark acts as New York Yankees’ Spring Training Home.
Ray’s Principal -Owner Stuart Sternberg said “a number of events” in October, and financing delays led to “this difficult decision.”
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A drone photo shows the dome of the Tropicana field, which was ripped open by Hurricane Milton in Skt. Petersburg, Fla., October 10, 2024. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
“After careful consideration, we have concluded that we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said in a statement. “A series of events that began in October that no one could have expected led to this difficult decision.”
Sternberg added that the organization remains obliged to solve its stadium question.
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“Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unshakable. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interest in our region, Major League Baseball and our organization.”
“Major League Baseball remains obliged to find a permanent home for the club in the Tampa Bay region of their fans and the local community,” MLB said in a statement. “Commissioner (Rob) Manfred understands the disappointment of Skt. Petersburg community from today’s message, but he will continue to cooperate with elected officials, community leaders and rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.”
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and has been Rays’ home since taking the pitch in 1998. Skt. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a driving force behind what was called “here to stay”, which aimed to keep the rays in the city for another 30 years, the decision was disappointing, but “it is not unexpected.”
It is possible that the rays could be sold, he noted.
Tropicana Field before a game between Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
“If a new owner who demonstrates an obligation to honor their agreements and our societal priorities in the coming months will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete. But we will not put our city’s progress waiting as we wait for a collaboration and socially focused baseball partner,” Welch said.
According to their current contract with the city of Skt. Petersburg would play the rays for another three seasons on their existing ballpark after it has been repaired. These repairs are expected to be completed in time for the 2026 season.
“The city of Skt. Petersburg is currently promoting plans to restore the Tropicana field for the 2026 season,” said Sternberg. “We are grateful for their efforts and are happy to return to our home field next spring.”
The damaged roof at Tropicana Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, after Hurricane Milton made lands in the center of St. Petersburg, Fla., October 10, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)
The proposed stadium of 30,000 seats is a signature piece on a broader revitalization project of $ 6.5 billion known as the historic gas plant district referring to a predominantly black neighborhood forced out of the construction of Tropicana Field and an Interstate Highway Spur.
Rays’ decision puts the wider project in Limbo.
The rays had been exposed to a deadline on March 31 to decide whether to continue with the new Ballpark project. According to the agreement previously approved by the city and Pinella’s County, governments would cover about half the cost of $ 1.3 billion stadium, with the rays and their development partner Hines covering the rest, including any cost overruns.
