TAMPA Bay Rays have been hit with yet another curveball after their long-awaited $1.3billion stadium deal officially crashed.
Plans to build a shiny new ballpark in St. Petersburg, Florida, were torched on Thursday — just over a year after getting the green light.
Plans to build a new stadium for the Rays have officially ended[/caption]
There are suggestions that the Rays could move to Hillsborough[/caption]
The city of St. Petersburg formally terminated the deal to build a $1.3billion ballpark[/caption]
Billionaire-in-waiting Patrick Zalupski, who’s hoping to take over the team from current owner Stu Sternberg, now faces a blank slate if he wants to keep the club in the city.
No stadium, no plan and no certainty, the city pulled the plug after Sternberg dramatically backed out in March, refusing to shoulder ballooning construction costs.
Now Zalupski and Co must scramble If they want a home for the Rays. They’ll need to start from scratch and rumors are flying he’s got his eye on Hillsborough County instead.
Hillsborough is already home turf for the Bucs and the Bolts and baseball could be next.
The collapse of the deal means one thing, development rights for the prized Historic Gas Plant District go back to the city and Mayor Ken Welch is wasting no time reclaiming control.
Mayor Welch said: “We’re disappointed but focused.
“We now have the power to shape this land for St. Pete’s future, not just baseball’s.”
Meanwhile, Zalupski is still on deck and has reportedly agreed in principle to buy the team for $1.7billion, a move MLB boss Rob Manfred casually confirmed during All-Star week.
He said while throwing fuel on the fire of speculation: “I’m not disputing anything.”
Not everyone’s sad to see Sternberg go though.
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala said: “CHEAP STU can’t leave soon enough.
“The Yankees and Phillies paid up, he just wants handouts.”
Back at Tropicana Field, the city’s scrambling to make the old stadium playable again after Hurricane Milton tore through it last fall.
Crews are already at work, a brand-new roof is going on and $5.2 million has been approved for major repairs to the lights and power systems.
The Rays will return next year, but for now they’re crashing at the Yankees’ spring home in Tampa.
And the league’s 2026 schedule out next month should offer a few more clues as to where they’ll be playing.
