The Tampa Bay Rays announced Thursday the team will not proceed with a new stadium and surrounding development project, marking the end of a years-long process that the team, city and county thought had been settled last year.
"After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment," the Rays said on their official X page. "A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision."
In gratitude for the continued support from our fans and community. pic.twitter.com/vVGHn6nrAA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 13, 2025
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, who has been vocal about his concerns with the entire situation, said Sternberg should be ready to pay for the now-defunct deal.
When Stu sells perhaps he can pay back the taxpayers of Pinellas/St. Pete for the all the money that was spent on this deal. https://t.co/e8LGRm4ylh
— Chris Latvala (@ComChrisLatvala) March 13, 2025
The Rays' move was not completely unexpected.
The team repeatedly questioned how the$1.3 billion stadium deal would proceed after delays in stadium bond votes. Those bonds were eventually approved, but the Rays said it took too long.
At the time, the Rays said the delayed votes would cause cost overruns that the team would not be able to cover.
The news from the Rays also comes just days after reports emerged that at least two groups were interested in purchasing the Rays from owner Stuart Sternberg.
It coincided with a report that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and other owners were also putting pressure on Sternberg.
The Rays' move appears to be the end of a multi-year campaign to get a new stadium and move out of Tropicana Park.
The team, along with St. Petersburg and Pinellas Counties, finally reached a deal on a new stadium deal in 2024, just four years before the team's lease was to expire.
The announcement, at least for Rays fans, takes everything back to square one. The team now has to answer where it will play.
Tropicana Field's roof was destroyed by Hurricane Milton last year, leaving the Rays without a stadium to call home. The team decided to play regular-season games in 2025 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
For its part, the City of St. Petersburg did agree to move forward with a multi-million dollar plan to repair Tropicana Field.
However, with the team pulling out of the new stadium deal, the question is whether the city will continue with the repair plan for Tropicana Field.
Rays fans now have to hope there is a Plan B both from the team and the city/county for both Tropicana Field and a new stadium.
This story was originally published by Tim Kephart with the Scripps News Group in Tampa.
