Could Rays soon be on the move after mayor’s blunt comment?

Wherever the Tampa Bay Rays’ future is, it may not be in the city they’ve called home for 27 years. 

In his State of the City address on Tuesday, St. Petersburg, Fla. mayor Ken Welch said the city is poised to move on from the Rays if they reject a new stadium deal. 

According to Front Office Sports’ Eric Fisher, the city and Pinellas County approved bonding to cover $600M of the stadium’s projected cost ($1.3B) in July 2024. However, the team says legislative delays have introduced additional costs it can’t afford. 

“We will not pursue the deal at any cost,” Welch said, per Fisher. “The greatness and future of St. Pete does not depend solely on this deal, and I am confident that we have given this endeavor our best effort. It’s an effort and process we can all be proud of.”

The Rays have until March 31 to prove they can meet specific benchmarks to secure the public money, but Tampa Bay owner Stu Sternberg seems unsure that they will.

“We’ll decide how we want to proceed at that point, well before that point,” Sternberg has said, via Fisher. 

The Rays’ agreement with the city is still in place until 2028. On Wednesday, Colleen Wright reported that the deal would extend through the 2029 season if Tropicana Field’s roof — damaged during Hurricane Milton — isn’t repaired next season. (The Rays will play home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay in 2025.)

However, the Rays’ future seems murky without a solidified plan for a new stadium. 

A lack of a strong fan base probably doesn’t help matters. Per ESPN, the Rays had the third-lowest home attendance (16,515) in baseball in 2024. 

Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando or North Carolina may be interested in bringing in the Rays. If the stadium deal falls through, they may be playing in one of those locations soon.