Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is excited about the possibility of bringing the Tampa Bay Rays to her side of the bay permanently.
The Rays are playing this season at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field after Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was damaged during Hurricane Milton last fall. Their contract to play in the Trop is up in 2028, meaning they might be looking for a new place to call home.
At a Tampa Bay Chamber event Friday morning, Castor said her city needs to be prepared to answer a call from the Rays if it comes.
“MLB doesn’t want the Rays to leave Tampa Bay,” Castor said. “I think the future of the team – there may be new owners.”
She shared her thoughts relatively unprompted during the mayor's annual Face the Chamber event. While the Rays were briefly mentioned, she took a moment at the end of a question-and-answer session to comment.
The city of St. Petersburg's relationship with the Rays has soured since mid-March, when the team pulled out of a public-private agreement to build a $1.3 billion stadium.
According to reports, at least two Tampa-area groups would like to purchase the Rays.
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Also, a group in Central Florida is also vying for a team. The Orlando Dreamers organization says it has $1.5 billion committed for a team and another $1 billion toward a stadium near SeaWorld.
Rays officials have said the team is not for sale, and principal owner Stuart Sternberg has been quiet about the stadium situation.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has said he wants to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area.
Negotiations to build a Rays stadium in Tampa near Ybor City in 2018 and 2022 were unsuccessful.
