Mayor of St. Petersburg Calls For Tampa Bay Rays to Honor Stadium Deal

Mayor Ken Welch said that while St. Petersburg has done everything it needs to in regards to the Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium deal, the city would be able to survive the team bailing.

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch throws out the first pitch before a game between the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays may technically have a home for the 2025 season, but their future beyond that remains up in the air.

After Hurricane Milton laid waste to Tropicana Field in October, the Rays reached an agreement with the New York Yankees to play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field this coming season. The cleanup is well underway at the Trop, with hopes that the 35-year-old park can be ready in time for 2026.

The Rays' deal with the city of St. Petersburg to open a brand-new stadium in 2028, meanwhile, was also thrown off by Milton. The projected opening got delayed to 2029, and the Rays made it clear they do not want to pay for an extra year of construction.

While the city has squared away all the details on its end, the team still has to complete a checklist of obligations prior to March 31 in order to unlock public funding. Owner Stu Sternberg has yet to decide whether or not he will be completing that checklist, however, in an attempt to hold out for even more public funding to cover the overages.

St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch spoke about the progression of the deal during his State of the City address on Tuesday, blaming the holdup entirely on the Rays.

"The only thing we need to move forward ... is for the Rays to honor the agreement that we signed just six months ago," Welch said. "I remain hopeful that that will happen. I also believe in transparency, so to the citizens of St. Pete, let me be clear: As I've stated throughout this process, this plan can only be successful with partnership."

Welch reiterated that his preference is to move forward with the deal, but that it depended on the Rays being a "willing partner." He even went as far as saying that St. Petersburg is prepared for the possibility of the team walking away from the negotiating table.

"We will not pursue the deal at any cost," Welch said. "The greatness and future of St. Pete does not depend solely on this deal."

In his State of the City speech, Mayor Ken Welch talked about the Tampa Bay Rays, the goal of a new stadium, and the team's part in making it happen. pic.twitter.com/cSrUkUuP25

— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) February 4, 2025

Less than two months remain before the Rays will have to lock in their plans for their next ballpark. If the March 31 deadline expires, the team would be in default and all prior agreements would be erased.

St. Petersburg would also retain the land in the Historic Gas Plant District that was meant for the stadium.

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