The Rays' plans to build a new ballpark and mixed-use entertainment district in St. Petersburg “are dead.” The team this morning posted a statement on X that read in part, “After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment.” The club faced a March 31 deadline “to decide whether to proceed with a stadium and redevelopment deal that took nearly 20 years to reach.” The decision to end the ballpark effort comes as “two separate groups say they are trying to buy the Rays” from owner Stuart Sternberg. Sternberg has not publicly commented on whether he plans to sell the team (TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/13). Fan reaction “was immediate and sad” following the news, with “lots of calls to ‘sell the team,’ but also hurt reactions” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/13).
Shortly before the announcement, Sternberg “called St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch to inform him of the Rays' intentions.” Welch called Sternberg’s decision “a major disappointment,” though it “was not unexpected.” If the Rays “officially back out of the deal with a termination letter,” they will be “on the hunt for another location to play when the current agreement with St. Petersburg expires” in 2028 or 2029. The timeline “depends on when hurricane damage at Tropicana Field is fixed" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/13). MLB in a statement said that it “remains committed to finding a permanent home” for the Rays “in the Tampa Bay region” (MLB).
