The Tampa Bay Rays will be able to buy out their Tropicana Field lease and search for a new ballpark site in Hillsborough County under an agreement reached with St. Petersburg. (more…)
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Rays shift new-ballpark duties after Friedman departure
With Andrew Friedman departing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a restructuring of the Tampa Bay Rays front office has incoming president Brian Auld in charge of new-ballpark talks. (more…)
Most county-board candidates indicate support for new Rays ballpark in Tampa
Considering Florida’s extreme political climate, a surprising number of candidates for Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners indicated some level of government support for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in Tampa. Party affiliation didn’t seem to be a factor in how candidates responded to queries from 10 News on how they’d approach bringing the Rays […]
Kalt leaves Tampa Bay Rays for Manhattan
Michael Kalt, who oversaw new-ballpark efforts for the Tampa Bay Rays, is leaving the team and will be opening an investment office in Manhattan for team investors. The move seems more for lifestyle choices than anything to do with the Rays situation; with prospects seemingly bright for a new Rays ballpark somewhere in Tampa Bay, […]
Pasco County makes pitch for spring training
With a proposed Palm Beach County spring-training complex in flux, Pasco County is jumping into the spring-training fray and working with a developer on a 19-field facility in Wesley Chapel. Wesley Chapel is about 25 miles north of Tampa, in the southernmost part of Pasco County. Wiregrass Ranch, where the facility would be located, is […]
New year, new day for new Rays ballpark?
With Rick Kriseman taking over the mayoral reins in St. Petersburg, many are expecting some sort of resolution to the Tampa Bay Rays ballpark situation — whether in St. Pete or Tampa. Outgoing Mayor Bill Foster isn’t leaving behind a very strong legacy, criticized as being indecisive and inflexible on big issues, including the future […]
Foster: MLB looking for reason to flee Tampa Bay
Not only do MLB owners want to see the Tampa Bay Rays leave Tropicana Field, they want to see the team leave Tampa Bay completely, according to outgoing St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. As mayor, Foster led a dogged fight to ensure the Rays play out their entire lease at Tropicana Field, which runs through […]
Residents: Let Rays buy out Trop lease, move to Tampa
A plurality of St. Petersburg residents are willing to let the Tampa Bay Rays buy out their Tropicana Field lease and pursue a new ballpark anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. This was released in a poll released this morning. The poll, conducted on behalf of the Tampa Bay Times, Bay New 9 and WUSF […]
St. Pete mayor: Talks with Rays going poorly
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, tied up in a tight reelection battle, says talks between his office and the Tampa Bay Rays over Tropicana Field lease are not going well — and blames MLB for the impasse. In a report to the City Council, Foster took aim at the commissioner’s office as he declared talks […]
Feeding frenzy begins on siting potential Rays ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays haven’t even received permission to explore new-ballpark sites in the region, but some Hillsborough County officials are pushing alternative sites to a downtown Tampa location. Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist is already pushing a new ballpark at the former Tampa Greyhound Track site off I-275, which could also include a new […]
Selig: Time to resolve Tampa Bay Rays ballpark situation
Despite some recent breakthroughs in the Tampa Bay Rays ballpark situation, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig may intervene to find out “what the hell is going on.” To say it’s been a long slog toward a new home for the Rays is to underestimate the time of a long slog: Tropicana Field was outdated a decade […]
Negotiations begin: Tampa asks for at least $200M from Rays for new ballpark
After years of relative inactivity, things are moving on a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn launching things publicly with a stance that the Rays put up a third of the cost of a new $600 million ballpark. From the Tampa Tribune: Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan held […]
St. Pete mayor relents on Rays lease; Tampa moves to woo team
With St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster finally facing reality and softening his stance on a move of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa officials are already prepping a game plan to lure the franchise across the bay. In the middle of a tough reelection campaign, the hardnosed Foster — who has insisted from Day One that […]