A sale of the Tampa Bay Rays could have ripple effects on the area's two professional soccer teams — the Rowdies and Sun — and future stadium plans in Tampa.
News of the potential sale broke this week, when The Athletic reported Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is expected to sell the franchise to an investment group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion.
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If the sale goes through, the Tampa Bay Rowdies — owned by the Rays since 2018 — would be included in the deal, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported. The men's soccer club plays at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.
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Zalupski reportedly favors Tampa as the Rays’ home once the team’s lease at Tropicana Field expires in 2028. A site gaining traction is where the Sun, a women's soccer team, recently announced plans to build a stadium in Ybor City.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who has long promoted Tampa as a Rays stadium site, had identified the land in Ybor City as one of the potential spots for baseball. Other locations in Hillsborough had been floated to Sternberg, and may remain viable options for the new owners.
The Rays, who have played in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field since 1998, had agreed with that city and Pinellas County on a plan to build a $1.3 billion stadium to anchor a redevelopment plan for the Historic Gas Plant District. But in March, Sternberg pulled out of the project.
By then, Hillsborough forged ahead with developer Darryl Shaw on redeveloping land he owns at the north end of Ybor Channel, east of downtown. It was also the location pitched to the Rays in 2018, but the team turned it down over financing concerns and other factors.
Shaw's 33-acre development, known as Ybor Harbor, would include residential, dining and office space. It remains in the early planning stages, with layers of government approval required and no firm construction timeline.
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Just last month, the Sun, a women's soccer team owned by Shaw, announced plans to build a 15,000-seat, waterfront soccer stadium to anchor the Ybor Harbor development.
However, Hagan said he was told by Shaw the location for the soccer stadium could still be used for the Rays, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The Rays and Rowdies said they had no comment. A spokesperson for Shaw declined to comment as well.
