Tampa Or Bust For Rays’ Ownership?

Orlando could be a contender if the Tampa stadium proposal falls apart.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has given his support to Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays ownership’s proposal to build a ballpark-village in Tampa. But MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, while applauding the Rays’ ownership plan, has reminded people that it ain’t over until it’s over and there could be an alternative to Tampa in Florida if the plan falls through. “One thing that has been consistent during my time as Commissioner was my view that Major League Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said. “That support has been, I hope, clear and unwavering. There’s great excitement about the new ownership group here with the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s a great group. It’s a big group. It’s a Florida and Tampa rooted group,  really important in terms of the local presence here. I know that this group wants to make baseball a success here. They want to get a new facility built, and they want to provide a winner to the Rays fans here in the Tampa Bay region.”

But Manfred is not just the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He is also a lobbyist on behalf of his MLB owners and with that in mind he needs to create leverage to apply pressure on Tampa political and business leaders to get money for the proposed venue. Investors in central Florida want an MLB franchise in Orlando. “Florida is vibrant. There are alternatives in Florida, and I do think we’re at a point in the history of the club that something needs to get done. But I would be hesitant to characterize it as, you know, it’s this or never,” Manfred said. A group called the Orlando Dreamers doesn’t have a ballpark site just a plan to go after an MLB franchise. The Dreamers group could provide a fallback position if the Rays’ ownership cannot get a Tampa deal done.

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