Tampa Bay Rays Secure Public Funding for New Ballpark, Ending Decades-Long Stadium Saga

The Rays have two more seasons playing at Tropicana Field before moving to a new ballpark across the bay projected to open in 2029. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

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The challenges facing the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays have represented one of Major League Baseball’s most persistent dilemmas for decades, stretching across the tenures of the last two commissioners, Rob Manfred and Bud Selig.

However, with the recent narrow votes by government bodies in Tampa and Hillsborough County approving partial public funding for a $2.3 billion ballpark project for the Rays, these long-standing issues have finally reached resolution.

“This is significant news,” Rays manager Kevin Cash, a Tampa native, shared with local reporters recently. “Congratulations to the organization and our staff. An enormous amount of effort went into this. There is much to be excited about.”

Both franchises have ultimately had to relocate. The Athletics are headed to Las Vegas, with a stop in West Sacramento along the way, by 2028 when a new $2 billion ballpark on the Strip is scheduled to open.

Meanwhile, the Rays are departing Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for a development across the bay near the airport, the football stadium, and Steinbrenner Field, which serves as the Yankees’ spring training home. The ballpark and surrounding entertainment complex will be situated on the site of a relocated Hillsborough Community College campus on Dale Mabry, with an anticipated opening in 2029. The state of Florida supplied the land.

Both stadium projects proved complicated and generated hard feelings among dedicated fans in Oakland and those who have grown accustomed to watching the Rays at the Trop since the team joined the American League in 1998.

But unlike the A’s situation, the dual local government decisions have secured the Rays’ future in the Tampa Bay Area.

“This is a wonderful day for Rays fans, the entire Tampa Bay region, and Major League Baseball,” Manfred stated on Friday. “This agreement provides a tremendous foundation for the Rays and MLB to continue thriving in this community for generations to come.”

Manfred Earns Recognition for Resolving Both Stadium Challenges

Manfred receives his share of criticism for various decisions, as did Selig and every commissioner before them, but on this matter he deserves considerable praise. It was a lengthy and arduous process that often encountered severe setbacks. When his tenure concludes with retirement on January 25, 2029, this accomplishment will represent a substantial portion of his legacy.

That, along with the numerous on-field rule changes that have enhanced the pace and character of the game. Depending on how the current labor negotiations conclude, he will leave MLB in considerably better condition than when he assumed the role from Selig on January 25, 2015.

Selig accomplished many positive things during his tenure: consolidating the league offices and bringing MLB and the umpires under one organizational umbrella. Establishing the division and Wild Card playoff formats. He created Jackie Robinson Day, the inner-city RBI program, and the baseball academies. Under his leadership, the World Baseball Classic was established and flourished.

However, the one challenge he could not resolve was the A’s and Rays ballpark situations. If anything, the A’s in particular became a recurring topic of frustration at owners meetings. In March 2009, Selig established a Blue Ribbon Committee to assist in finding a location in the San Francisco Bay Area for the A’s to build.

After each meeting, a colleague would inquire whether any progress had been made, noting the days, months, and ultimately years since the committee’s formation.

Selig had nothing to report, often expressing his frustration in colorful terms.

“Thanks for asking,” he would add with characteristic sarcasm.

The committee eventually disbanded without a resolution, despite Selig having facilitated the sale of the team in 2005 to Lew Wolff, a longtime friend from his University of Wisconsin fraternity days, and John Fisher. Wolff was eventually removed, and the A’s departed Oakland.

Manfred inherited all of these challenges when he took office.

We have examined the A’s situation extensively since MLB approved their relocation to Las Vegas, which became inevitable when they left Oakland at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The move to Vegas spanned 18 years, involving two ownership groups and five different locations, two in Santa Clara County and two within Oakland itself.

The Vegas relocation was contingent on Nevada approving $380 million in public funds for the ballpark project, which occurred on June 15, 2023. Fisher is responsible for covering the remaining costs.

The Tampa Bay Stadium Saga Has Included Numerous Delays and Reversals

During this same period on Florida’s gulf coast, then-Rays owner Stu Sternberg reached an agreement with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to construct a new $1.2 billion domed stadium on land adjacent to the Trop as part of an urban renewal initiative.

However, unforeseen circumstances intervened. Hurricane Milton, the second major storm to impact the area, tore all the Teflon panels from the Trop’s roof, flooding the interior of the facility. The Rays were compelled to play the entire 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field while the city of St. Petersburg refurbished the stadium. Even before repairs could be completed, Sternberg abandoned the new ballpark agreement.

Sternberg communicated the team’s decision to St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch during a phone call on March 13, 2025.

“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this time,” the owner stated. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this decision.”

This marked the second time Sternberg had terminated a local ballpark agreement, having previously backed out of a deal across the bay in Ybor City in 2018.

The St. Petersburg decision effectively concluded Sternberg’s ownership of the Rays. Manfred and MLB ownership directed Sternberg to sell the franchise. By October 1, 2025, the owners approved the sale for $1.7 billion to a group led by Jacksonville, Florida, developer Patrick Zalupski.

At that point, serious plans to relocate across the bay commenced. It appeared unlikely that government officials would unite and reach agreement. Yet that outcome materialized last week. Now the bond purchases and groundbreaking can proceed.

It also seemed improbable that the Rays, playing back at the Trop this season, would post the best record in the American League after missing the playoffs the previous two seasons.

This fresh beginning will require the Rays to invest more than $1 billion of their own and borrowed funds solely on the ballpark. They maintain a lease to play at the Trop for two more seasons.

“Above all, we now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, something that has long been doubted but will indeed happen,” Ken Babby, the Rays’ chief executive, stated on Friday. “By making the forever home a reality, the Rays are now forever home in Tampa Bay.”

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