Rays proprietor deliberating on stadium agreement: 'Still in the process of determining next steps'

The ownership of the Tampa Bay Rays has not yet made a decision on whether to move forward with the construction of a $1.3 billion baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to principal owner Stuart Sternberg.

Last summer, the team and local officials announced plans to build the stadium in the Historic Gas Plant District as a replacement for the outdated Tropicana Field. Despite the approval of bond sales by government agencies, the stadium plans are currently uncertain due to potential delays that could result in significant financial losses for the Rays.

The team has until March 31 to fulfill certain conditions in order to receive public financing, including providing evidence that they can meet their minimum $700 million obligation for the project. The team is also responsible for any additional costs, which seems to be the main issue causing delays.

Originally scheduled to begin construction this winter for a 2028 opening, the project is already behind schedule.

\"We will make a decision on how to proceed well before the deadline,\" Sternberg stated in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times on Monday. \"We have to make a decision, so we will have something by then.\"

Failure to meet the deadline could result in the collapse of the public financing portion of the deal.

These are the first public comments made by Sternberg this year. In a letter sent to the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners last fall, the team expressed that the delays would prevent the 30,000-seat ballpark from being ready for the start of the 2028 season and that a 2029 opening would be too costly.

The lack of commitment from Sternberg has left at least one public official, Pinellas County commissioner Chris Latvala, frustrated.

\"Sell the team,\" Latvala posted on Monday.

This is just the latest issue surrounding a stadium for the Rays, who had the third worst attendance in Major League Baseball last season with an average of 16,515 fans per game.

In October, Tropicana Field suffered significant damage from Hurricane Milton, making it unplayable for the 2025 season. As a result, the Rays will use the New York Yankees' spring training site in Tampa as their home field this season.

The team has been playing at Tropicana Field since their inaugural season in 1998.