Tampa Bay Rays New Ballpark Deal Hits Yet Another Potential Snag, Deal in Peril

The Tampa Bay Rays are supposed to have a new ballpark in the Tampa area by 2029, but the issue has hit another snag.

A general view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in 2022. / Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays new ballpark deal in Tampa has hit yet another potential snag.

Let's reset the situation:

The Rays were scheduled to open a new ballpark in the Tampa area for the 2028 season. The deal was approved by local government over the summer of 2024.

However, Hurricane Milton, back in October, put the Rays ballpark situation on the backburner, while also severely damaging Tropicana Field. The Rays funding was still approved, but later than expected, which has pushed construction timelines back. As a result, the Rays say they can't open the stadium until 2029, and they say they can't afford to pay overage charges on the extra year of construction.

Now, the Rays are facing a deadline to show they can supply their end of the money.

Per the Tampa Times:

It’s on the Rays to show by March 31 that they have met a checklist of obligations that would unlock public funding for the project, including whether the team has its share of $700 million. If not, the team would be in default and the agreements approved by St. Petersburg and Pinellas County last summer could unwind.

Rays owner Stu Sternberg made a public appearance today at an event featuring the mayors of St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater

I got to talk to him for a bit about whether the Rays will go through with a $1.3 billion stadium deal

Story will be updatedhttps://t.co/Gur4oavWOE

— Colleen Wright (@Colleen_Wright) January 27, 2025

At this point, there would seem to be a handful of scenarios. First, the Rays can play hardball, and threaten relocation in order to secure funding to cover the overage charges. Second, the Rays can agree to pay the overage charges themselves and get the ballpark built a year later than expected.

Or three, the Rays can simply not supply the money, back out of the deal and look to relocate on their own.

The Rays will spend the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa because of the damages sustained by Tropicana Field. It is unplayable. And this ballpark deal will continue to dominate conversations around the organization for at least the next two months.

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