Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water …
After nearly two decades of trying to get a new stadium built, it seemed like a deal had been struck to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg with a new stadium set to be completed in 2028. With the details seemingly finalized, all that remained was final approval from the Pinellas County Commission to approve the bonds necessary to finance the project.
But after a previous postponement in that final approval, there was an election, and two of the Commissioners were replaced. And they don’t seem very enthusiastic about the new ballpark. At a meeting today, the decision to approve the bonds was once again postponed for another month, and the Rays made it clear that, in their opinion, the entire project is now in jeopardy.
HOW THE DEAL BLEW UP
There’s no shortage of complexity to what’s happening here.
First, there was the stadium deal itself, negotiated after numerous failed attempts to find a new home for the team in the Tampa Bay area. It was never clear that St. Petersberg would be the solution to that problem, especially since many “in the know” had suggested over the years that the location of the current ballpark is largely responsible for the Rays’ attendance woes. It seemed that the team’s preference was to move to Tampa, but with no deal able to be struck on that side of the Bay, an agreement to redevelop the entire St. Pete ballpark area was good enough to get the team to commit.
But then there was the hurricane. After Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off of Tropicana Field, things got very complicated. The damage to the ballpark was extensive, with an estimated price tag of $56 million to repair and a timeline of a year, making the stadium unusable for 2025. Which meant the team had to find a different place to play next season.
That decision was made last week when the team announced that it would play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees. That seemed like a strategically sound decision, given that it is the largest Spring Training venue in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Even with the Rays’ shaky attendance numbers, getting as many seats as possible was obviously an important factor in that decision.
But then came the politics. First was the election, where two of the County Commissioners were replaced, and they seemed to have different views on the pending bond referendum.
But then there was the local politics. The decision to play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa rather than BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater (Spring Training home of the Phillies) or TD Ballpark in Dunedin (Spring Training home of the Blue Jays), both of which are in Pinellas County, ruffled the feathers of the local pols.
So now, with the bond vote delayed, the Rays have put a hold on the new project and have said that it can no longer be completed by 2028. And with that delay, the cost of the project will go up, and the Rays have said they cannot (or will not) make up the difference in cost that will be incurred because of the delay.
SO WHAT’S NEXT?
Nobody really knows. Is this just posturing? If the County Commission approves the bonds at its next meeting in December, will all be forgiven, and will the parties find a way to move forward? Or are the Rays inclined to throw in the towel on the whole thing and find themselves a new home?
The situation with Tropicana Field makes the entire thing more complicated. Should the Rays pay to have the building repaired when the future of their existence in the Tampa Bay area is in doubt?
As has been widely reported, an investor group has been hard at work trying to bring an MLB expansion team to Nashville, with recent rumors that the White Sox could relocate there if they don’t get a new stadium in Chicago. So what if the Rays swooped in and grabbed Nashville first? They could play in the Triple-A Nashville Sounds ballpark for a few years while a new ballpark is built. Even though that timeline might be even longer than the one in Tampa, the lack of trust between the Rays and the Pinellas County Commission could make it more acceptable to the team.
Or maybe the City of Tampa will jump in and steal the team from St. Petersburg. Numerous attempts have been made in the past to get a stadium deal done in Tampa, with no success. But maybe the Tampa folks see an opportunity to do something unexpected and slide in with an offer.
No matter what happens, the whole thing is a mess. We’d normally tell you about how the fans are the ones getting stuck in the middle, but there’s a sad reality here: with an average 2024 attendance of 16,500 per game, you can’t exactly call the Rays fanbase all that rabid. The thinking was that a new stadium was going to fix what ailed the Rays, but that’s no sure thing.
For the moment, what we do have is a plan for 2025: the Rays will be in Tampa, playing at Steinbrenner Field. At least … that’s the plan. With how this drama continues to develop, who knows if that is the final word on this.
