The Rays' future in the Tampa Bay area is in danger

The Tampa Bay Rays future in the Tampa Bay area is in flux. The Pinellas County Board of Commissions postponed a vote to approve bonds that would finance construction of a new stadium for the Rays. It marked the second time the county postponed a vote of this sort. The Rays said the decision by the Board of Commissions would postpone construction on the stadium for at least a year, and could even kill the deal in its entirety. A new vote is scheduled for December 17.

Many commissioners on the board expressed frustration regarding comments made by Rays owner Stu Sternberg in a Tampa Bay Times article published Saturday.

"Last month, the County Commission upended our ballpark agreement by not approving their bonds, as they promised to do,” Sternberg said. “That action sent a clear message that we had lost the county as a partner. The future of baseball in Tampa Bay became less certain after that vote."

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The Rays are already playing 2025 in a different ballpark than Tropicana Field, but not because of a lack of funding for a new stadium. After Hurricane Milton severely damaged Tropicana Field's roof, the team announced it would be playing its home games at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees spring training facility. It's unknown when Tropicana Field will be safe to play in again.

With the Rays playing at the Yankees facilities in 2025 and the continued postponement of funding for a new stadium, the Rays' future in the Tampa Bay area is up in the air. If funding for a new stadium and funding to repair Tropicana Field's roof isn't approved, the Rays may relocate out of the Tampa area. The cost to fix the roof is estimated to be $55.7 million. In the past, the team has proposed to split each season in Tampa and Montreal, but the MLB rejected that proposal in January 2022.

Montreal seems to be a likely place the Rays could relocate as it would make playing in the AL East easy. However, Montreal had a team from 1969-2004 that relocated due to declining attendance, a similar problem to what the Rays are having now. Charlotte, North Carolina would be another place the Rays could move that would keep them close to other teams in their division.

Relocation would be taken off the table if the Board of Commissions approves funding during the vote on December 17, though. A new stadium for the Rays could be ready by 2028 if approved.

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