Tampa Preferred Over St. Pete For New Tampa Bay Rays Stadium, MLB Commissioner Says

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — With the Tampa Bay Rays’ future plans still up in the air, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he’d prefer the team to build its new ballpark on the other side of the bay in Tampa rather than stay in St. Petersburg.

Despite his preference, the commissioner said that the Rays have multiple factors to consider when selecting a site, according to the Associated Press.

“I have always thought that a stadium on the other side of the causeway would be preferable in some respects,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday before the All-Star America. “But there’s a variety of factors that have to be taken into account in terms of determining whether you’re going to be in St. Pete or in Tampa: What financing is available? What sites are available? How quickly you can get in the ground? It’s not just the location.”

The Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg expires following the 2027 season. The team has played at the Trop since its inaugural 1998 season.

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In January, the Rays said that MLB rejected its request to split its season between Florida and Montreal.

Since then, the team has focused on a potential relocation to Tampa. Its plans centered on a move to Ybor City and building a new stadium at the former Kforce Inc. headquarters on Palm Avenue.

But zoning regulations could be an issue at the site as an enclosed stadium is necessary because of Florida’s weather. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told the Tampa Bay Business Journal in June that the MLB requires enclosed stadiums to stand about 25 stories tall. The Kforce site being eyed by the Rays falls within the Ybor City historic district, which means a zoning variance would need to be approved by Tampa’s Barrio Latino Commission.

"The location they've proposed is probably not going to be the best fit for that type of building," Eric Hart, president and CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority, told the Business Journal. "If it’s going to be a full-time stadium with a retractable roof, that location — because of the height restriction — is going to become a problem."

In St. Petersburg, the city has relaunched the request for proposal process to redevelop the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District, which includes Tropicana Field. The RFP issued in July 2020 was canceled and a new one will be released in August, likely focusing on intentional equity, equitable development and affordable housing.

Last month, Manfred pushed the Rays to make a decision on its future home soon.

"Obviously the end of that lease is a hard deadline, but you need to take into account that stadiums take a little bit of time to build, right," the commissioner said. "So, we are getting to the point where wherever it is in the region that has an interest in having 162 baseball games, they need to get to it, get with the club — I know the Rays are anxious to get something done — and see if a deal can be made."