The stadium-village deal appears to be dead.
What’s the news in St. Petersburg? The ownership of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays’ franchise have pulled the plug on the construction of a stadium-village in St. Petersburg and that, of course, brings up the question. What happens now? Stu Sternberg, the franchise’s principal owner, tried to explain the rationale behind the decision. “After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment. A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision,” Sternberg said in a statement. “Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interest of our region, Major League Baseball and our organization.”
The Rays business’s lease ends in 2027 with St. Petersburg. The franchise will be playing its games in 2025 at a minor league ballpark in Tampa and it is possible that once St. Petersburg gets around to fixing the roof at the Rays’ home stadium that was blown off in October 2024, that the team could play in that stadium beyond 2027. But that is not a long term solution. Could MLB force the Rays’ ownership to sell the business to local individuals who want to keep the team in the market. Will MLB beg St. Petersburg and Pinellas County elected officials to keep the deal alive? Could the team move? A number of groups in various cities across the United States and Canada have expressed interest in landing an MLB franchise. None of the markets are ready for a relocated or an expansion franchise. There are stadium plans in the various markets but with the tariff wars taking place, stadium costs are suddenly more expensive. The Rays’ saga continues.
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