Passan on the Rays' future in Tampa Bay -- or elsewhere: Latest on new stadium deal, status of the Trop

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners voted 5-2 successful favour of backing $312.5 cardinal worthy of bonds Tuesday night. What sounds for illustration a elemental procedural move was acold from it. Over the past six weeks, the $1.3 cardinal stadium woody for the Tampa Bay Rays -- celebrated successful July by each parties arsenic a watershed infinitesimal for a franchise that had spent astir 2 decades trying to build a caller ballpark -- has recovered itself successful jeopardy. And it each started Oct. 29.

Less than 3 weeks aft Hurricane Milton tore done the tile of Tropicana Field and caused tens of billions of dollars much successful harm connected Oct. 10, the Pinellas committee convened to o.k. the bonds needed for the caller stadium. What the Rays believed would beryllium a rubber stamp turned into a messiness erstwhile the committee postponed the vote. While commissioners said the hold stemmed from wanting to cognize wherever the Rays would play successful 2025 (in mid-November they would sanction George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees' insignificant convention stadium extracurricular of Pinellas County successful Tampa, arsenic their caller impermanent home), the squad felt betrayed.

Thus began a back-and-forth pinch some sides casting blasted connected the other. The hold successful the bonds, the Rays said, would hold opening the stadium until 2029, alternatively of 2028 arsenic planned. The other building costs, the squad said, would beryllium excessive. One of the region commissioners, Chris Latvala, told the Tampa Bay Times that the Rays put the costs astatine $200 million. To complete the project, the Rays said, they would request further financial assistance from their partners successful the project, Pinellas County and the metropolis of St. Petersburg, wherever the caller stadium would reside, connected the aforesaid tract arsenic the Trop but pinch a multibillion-dollar improvement surrounding.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred traveled to Florida past week successful an effort to statement up the increasing disagreement among the parties. Latvala, who antecedently had voted nary connected the deal, flipped to a yes connected Tuesday night, he told the Times, because of Manfred's promise for the Rays to stay successful Tampa Bay. Latvala went connected to knock Rays proprietor Stuart Sternberg, saying: "I dream our ballot coming helps group the wheels successful mobility for a caller proprietor and a caller era of the Tampa Bay Rays."

Another commissioner, Rene Flowers, framed the ballot arsenic a telephone for the Rays to show their committedness arsenic well. The squad tin terminate the statement astatine immoderate time. With the county's money pledged, arsenic good arsenic $287.5 cardinal from St. Petersburg successful a 4-3 metropolis assembly vote, Flowers told the Times: "All eyes will now beryllium watching to guarantee that the Rays uphold their portion of this deal."

Where does it spell from here? Here's everything you request to cognize astir wherever the task stands, what the early of Tropicana Field looks for illustration and whether the Rays could find different home.

What stands betwixt the Rays and getting a caller ballpark successful St. Petersburg?

Besides authorities and money? Oh, not much.

Certainly the messy opening of the business does not portend amended relations going forward. But if the sides tin find statement connected a number of issues -- namely the "funding gap" the Rays opportunity the committee caused by the hold and really the Trop fits into the early -- a caller stadium remains possible. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch stands firmly down the project, but Flowers said Tuesday she was against the committee giving immoderate much money.

After Tuesday night's vote, Rays president Matt Silverman issued a connection saying: "It was unsurprising to spot the Commissioners admit really important the Tampa Bay Rays and our stadium improvement statement are to this organization and its citizens. As we person made clear, the County's hold has caused the ballpark's completion to descent into 2029. As a result, the costs of the task has accrued significantly, and we cannot sorb this summation alone. When the County and City wish to engage, we stay fresh to lick this backing spread together."

What is the timeline for deciding whether a caller stadium will happen?

In bid for the bonds to beryllium sold, the Rays must meet a number of conditions. At the forefront is the squad showing it has the money to screen its responsibility connected stadium costs. The squad has until March 31, 2025, to fulfill the conditions. MLB is expected to springiness the squad a $100 cardinal loan, and the Rays person expressed assurance they person the financing for the remainder of the money.

What is the position of Tropicana Field, and will the Rays ever play location again?

Eighteen of the 24 fiberglass panels connected the stadium's tile ripped disconnected during Hurricane Milton. The stadium, agelong bullied for being outdated and acold excessively quiet for a franchise arsenic bully arsenic the Rays, transformed overnight into the lasting image of the harm the large wind wrought.

St. Petersburg is obligated to repair the stadium. The metropolis estimated it tin do truthful successful clip for the 2026 play for $55.7 million. On Wednesday, the metropolis assembly pledged $1.4 cardinal for rebuilding plans.

The Rays' position is that the Trop would not beryllium fresh until the past twelvemonth of their lease successful 2027 -- that the harm done to the stadium, beyond the roof, is excessively exceptional. Part of the calculus going guardant is whether the parties proceed pinch rebuilding the Trop aliases see taking the money pledged toward its repair and connection it to thief span the backing gap.

If the projected stadium isn't opening until 2029, could the Rays conscionable play astatine Steinbrenner Field until then?

Highly unlikely. The Rays are treating Steinbrenner arsenic a stopover, not dissimilar really the Athletics are utilizing different insignificant convention stadium, Sutter Health Park, to group up shop earlier their planned move to Las Vegas successful 2028.

It's not conscionable the upwind concerns -- the operation of utmost power and rainfall successful the summertime that, accordingly, person the Rays connected the roadworthy for 35 of 48 games betwixt July 4 and the extremity of August. Deposing a insignificant convention connection of an statement successful the aforesaid section is simply thing that's not apt to beryllium agreed upon for an extended play of time.

Where would the Rays play, then?

Good question. Would MLB springiness them support to moonlight successful a imaginable description city? Could they find location to play successful Pinellas County for 3 much years? Is Omaha, which the Wall Street Journal reported could big the Rays, really a possibility? It's each unknown. Just arsenic important arsenic the adjacent fewer years is what comes aft that. The extremity is for the Rays to cognize wherever they're going to beryllium successful 2028 and 2029 arsenic early arsenic 2026. Though arsenic the A's showed this year, those sorts of timelines thin to beryllium much fluid than the "deadlines" suggest.

Let's opportunity location on the way, the St. Petersburg stadium falls through. Would Tampa beryllium a viable option?

As it stands, no. The Rays person explored stadium options successful Hillsborough County successful the past, only for the efforts to fail.

Hillsborough voters renewed a half-cent income taxation successful November, but the anticipation is that money for the stadium will beryllium earmarked for the NFL's Buccaneers, whose lease astatine Raymond James Stadium runs retired successful 2028.

If, for immoderate reason, Pinellas County is disconnected the table, possibly Hillsborough and the metropolis of Tampa would return a different tack pinch the Rays. For now, though, arsenic agelong arsenic the stadium woody remains successful place, the squad is not permitted to prosecute pinch different municipalities. It's a leverage constituent that theoretically pushes the Rays toward a deal, because without the expertise to activity options extracurricular of Pinellas, terminating the statement would travel pinch further risk.

In that case, would Sternberg activity to relocate the team?

He did show the Times successful mid-November that relocation "is not an improbable conclusion." Whether Sternberg would waste the Rays to personification pledging to support the squad successful the Tampa Bay area, proceed owning the squad if it moved aliases waste it to a caller proprietor who plans to relocate each remains unknown.

Would MLB owners fto them relocate?

Maybe. The Rays' attempts to build a caller stadium person lasted 17 years. A akin nonaccomplishment to unafraid a stadium successful Oakland led to MLB greenlighting the move of the A's to Las Vegas. Owners position the Tampa Bay marketplace favorably, truthful the penchant is for an MLB squad to stay location -- thing reinforced by Manfred's efforts.

At slightest 23 of the league's 30 owners request to ballot successful favour of a imaginable move.

What would beryllium the astir apt destinations if the Rays do move?

The usual suspects: Nashville, Tennessee; Salt Lake City; Charlotte, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Don't hide Montreal. In 2019, the Rays received support from MLB to research splitting its location games betwixt the Tampa Bay area and Montreal. In January 2022, the MLB executive assembly killed the projected plan.

How would the Rays moving effect MLB's early description timeline?

They're inextricably tied. Manfred's committedness to keeping shot successful the Tampa Bay area would either entail keeping the Rays successful municipality now aliases approving their move to a caller metropolis and offering an description franchise erstwhile shot decides to spell from 30 to 32 teams.

The convention has not taken immoderate general steps to expand. Manfred has agelong said that he wants the A's and Rays' stadium issues taken attraction of earlier the convention moves to expand. Considering really quickly what looked for illustration the Rays' triumph of a stadium woody turned imperiled, the desire for clarity looks much and much warranted.