Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says league officials “have a sense of urgency” to find a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Manfred made the comments Thursday after Major League Baseball scrapped a plan last month to split seasons between Florida and Montreal when the team’s lease at Tropicana Field expires following the 2027 season.
Major League Baseball gave the Rays the go-ahead in June 2019 to explore the two-city plan, then announced Jan. 20 that the concept had been rejected.
The Rays are perennially plagued by among the lowest home attendance in the major leagues.
A full season baseball stadium in Ybor City could cost just under $900 million, according to a recent analysis commissioned by the Tampa Sports Authority.
As recently as October, Rays officials have said a split-city plan was the only viable alternative to keeping the Rays in the greater Tampa Bay region — even just part-time.
Last month, former St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman chose Midtown Development of Miami as his choice to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana Field site.
It now goes for approval before the city council — which will have three new members — and new mayor Ken Welch.
Information from WUSF staff was used in this report.
