IF the Rays move, where will they go??

Discussing the Tampa Bay Rays current stadium and relocation situation

My Twitter: https://x.com/Dgingsz

37 comments
  1. Buffalo its a pro sports town and has one of if not the best minor league baseball stadium that can be expanded in a retrofit to a major league capacity. The Pegula's would be in if they put the team up for sale.

  2. Utah is more likely than charlotte or Nashville because they already have public money set up for a stadium none of the other cities have that but the best case for the rays and their fans is moving to Orlando due to a lack of easily accessible land in Tampa / St. Pete

  3. What do you think about Jacksonville FL? We are getting the new Jags stadium and currently have a really nice minor league team here. I think that would be awesome

  4. Montreal most likely getting a team within a few years time. They aren't repairing that roof for laughs or giggles. Depressed Ginger seems to ignore that Blackrock is forcing Blackrock cities to get pro teams and constantly get things like all-star festivities (since they control/own a league's sponsors).

  5. My hunches: 1) Trop roof won't be repaired. 2) St Pete's city council and Pinellas County have passed the public funding they promised for a new ballpark in St. Pete, but now the Rays want more pubic money citing the delay in public financing approvals. I doubt the Rays will get a penny more in public funding, so I think odds are the Rays will not stay in St. Pete unless Sternberg sells the team. 2) Nashville, Charlotte, and Portland aren't close to presenting a fully-financed new MLB ballpark and I doubt that will change in the next couple of years at least, so I think they're all out. Orlando is possible, but they too haven't presented a fully financed new ballpark to date though they seem further along in the process. 3) Rays will probably have discussions with Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa to build a new ballpark there, so Tampa is a possibility too. 4) Salt Lake City is the only place which already has a fully financed ballpark (public and private money) ready to be built and a loaded ownership group (Miller Group) ready to buy a team, so if Tampa or Orlando can't present a fully-financed ballpark project ready to be built sometime in the next year and Sterberg doesn't sell the team to a new owner who will pay all private money under the original agreement for a new ballpark in St Pete and will keep the team there long-term, my bet would be a relocation to SLC with Sternberg selling the team to the Miller Group.

  6. No expansion until the Rays and White Sox situations are resolved. Even then, no other location other than Salt Lake City has all their ducks in a row and ready to be granted either a relocated team or an expansion franchise, and I would think MLB would want two expansion franchises to balance the AL and NL at 16 teams each. I bet the NBA (Seattle and Vegas) and NHL (Atlanta and Houston would be the favorites IMO) expand before MLB does. If Salt Lake City lands either the Rays or White Sox in a relocation scenario, expansion would be even further away from becoming reality as MLB would have to find two cities ready to build a fully-financed new ballpark before announcing an expansion.

  7. Nashville recently said they are not ready to build a baseball stadium. There is so much more to this not covered here. MLB visited DeSantis and Pinellas County. Based on MLB Comments, they remain very interested in Tampa Bay.

  8. There's no place left to go! I'm thinking the Rays stay put. Right now St. Pete is just playing hardball, both sides know the best place for the Rays is St. Pete; large media market and they keep their fan base.

    Didn't the MLB offer Tampa a baseball franchise as a gift to George Steinbrenner for all he had done for the sport?

    I also think MLB wants the Rays to stay in Tampa Bay area, otherwise there really would be more talk about moving to another city. We know Nashville is out. SLC is a longshot as MLB doesn't want another high altitude fiasco like Colorado. Orlando is intriguing but I still think it's a longshot.

    MLB has the oldest fanbase of all major sports, the young people really want NOTHING to do with baseball so Tampa is a perfect fit.

  9. Here is something to think about. If the owners are possibly looking to sell the Ray's, they will get more money if the Ray's are not tied to Tampa and open for relocation.

  10. Orlando group hopes to lure MLB team with $1.7 billion stadium pitch
    with the backing of Orlando Magic co-founder Pat Williams .
    hear the thing MLB not looking to change the rays name . so dreamers or out the door.
    mlb looking to fix A'S first . RAYS and city has already 85 ACRES of land online. rays lose if they back out. goes to the city . if city backs out goes to the rays. and the can still move.
    rays right now are dead l lock right now . till someone takes on ray name.
    and no one wanks nashville stars name also.

  11. Stop talking about Nashville,have you not been keeping up with the news,theyre saying Nashville is tapped out,no money for decades to build a baseball stadium.The most likely scenario is 1.St Pete as the owner doesnt want to lose the land deal Id put it at 60% 2.Somehow they end up in Tampa proper 20% 3.Orlando 15% and 4.Salt Lake city 5%. Just stop with the Nashville thing,its almost annoying already,Salt Lake is the most ready for a team but I think if anyone is moving there its the A's if the Vegas thing doesnt happen and I think MLB wants an expansion team at Salt Lake,I think the best option for the Rays is Orlando.

  12. Orlando already has more stadiums than they do sports teams. I can see the city council, either building the Rays a new one or doing a major renovation on an existing one.

  13. My vote ~ my hope is that the Rays move to Orlando! Its a money maker for the Rays and MLB! Orlando will will support the Rays the way a MLB team should be supported! Rays ownership is pathetic. Tampa/St Pete leadership are weak liars!

  14. Who is this clown? The dude can't even get the owner's name right. Stu "Steinberg"? The "Sarasota" market? He obviously has no idea what he's talking about, especially when he says Nashville is the leading contender even after they said they don't have the resources for a stadium. Orange County (Orlando) already turned down giving tax dollars to the Orlando Dreamers group for a baseball stadium. The only market outside of the Tampa area, and St. Pete specifically, that seems ready to move in a quick fashion is Salt Lake City and I guarantee that MLB does not want to trade the 17th largest metro market for the 46th. Stu is going to bite the bullet and move forward with St. Pete or sell to someone else who will keep them in the Tampa area.

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