The Rays will be staying in Tampa Bay as MLB council strikes down Montreal split-season request.
Courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg
By Max Steele
The Major League Baseball (MLB) Executive Council denied the Tampa Bay Rays’ request for a split-season between its current hometown, St. Petersburg, Florida, and Montreal, Canada.
The exact reason for the denial has not yet been clarified, but it’s suspected that the council was skeptical about the MLB’s first ever split-season concept.
The request was proposed by Rays owner Stuart Sternberg in November of 2019 in an effort to expand the team’s fanbase and generate more revenue for the organization.
The Rays’ current location, Tropicana Field, averages amongst the league’s lowest in attendance per season, despite their on-field success. According to ESPN, the 100-win team averaged 9,500 fans per game during the 2021 season, regardless of the stadium’s ability to seat over 40,000 at full capacity.
“We put everything we had into this effort because we truly believed in it – we thought it was great for the Rays, for our players, for the MLB, for Montreal and Tampa Bay,” Rays President Brian Auld told the Tampa Bay Times.
However, not everyone associated with the Rays was on board with the split-season idea, including players and fans.
“The idea of having to go across to another country in the middle of the season is a bit rough,” Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow said. “I think most players were not agreeing.”
This denial means the Rays will be staying in the Tampa Bay area on a long-term basis.
The question now is, where?
Before leaving office, former St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman proposed redevelopment plans for downtown St. Petersburg, including a new, state-of-the-art stadium for the Rays located between Booker Creek and 16th Street.
Sternberg also expressed interest in building an open-air stadium in Tampa’s Ybor City, proposing a plan that would cost $700 million.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor discussed the issue at Suncoast Tiger Bay Club’s “State of the Bay” event, as both mayors believe the Rays belong on their side of the Bay.
As of now, the Rays lease agreement at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season. However, building a stadium involves a lengthy process. If the team wants to relocate, they will likely need to have plans set by 2023, giving them five years for construction before opening day in 2028.
