Just over a week ago, a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski officially took over as owners of the Tampa Bay Rays.
They're inheriting a team with a lot of questions — primarily, securing a long-term location once its lease with Tropicana Field expires in 2028.
Zalupski, along with fellow co-chair Bill Cosgrove and chief executive officer Ken Babby, met with the media for the first time on Tuesday.
It was their first opportunity to provide a glimpse into their vision, and take questions on a range of items, including the most viable location for a new stadium and who will pay for it.
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While Zalupski said some of those questions will take time to address, they had some short-term answers to topics that might be top-of-mind for fans.
Re-roof and return to Tropicana Field
Repairs are ongoing at the Trop, which was heavily damaged during Hurricane Milton. Babby said he's looking forward to the team returning to a major-league stadium after playing this season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
"Tropicana Field is our current home, and we can't wait to get back there on April 6 next year," Babby said "I want to thank the mayor (Ken Welch) and his team in St Petersburg for the incredible work that's going on behind the scenes to get Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, ready for baseball in 2026. At the end of this week, we'll have 12 of our 24 panels on the roof.
"Everybody in the community has answered the call ... one at a time, each in unique ways to be able to deliver, and we're deeply appreciative of your help. We look forward to building this reality together with our team and with our staff and with the community; we plan to do our part too at Tropicana Field.
Added Zalupski: "I think in the short term, we're really excited to get back there. As Ken said, we need to be back there. We need to be in a major-league ballpark. I think the team wants to be there. The fans want to be there."
Turning the Trop into a fan magnet
Babby has a reputation of being obsessive about the fan experience with the two minor-league teams he owns: the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a Miami Marlins affiliate, and Akron RubberDucks, a Cleveland Guardians Double-A team.
Akron had a 38% growth in average attendance after Babby bought the team in 2012, rebranded it, emphasized games as family entertainment and invested in stadium upgrades. (He even claimed to have the "cleanest bathrooms" in the minors.)
Similar rebranding, marketing and investment in Jacksonville pushed up attendance 23% after he bought the team in 2015
On Tuesday, Babby said fans will see a revitalized Trop when they return this spring, while hinting he'll roll out some interesting plans to help drive attendance.
"As we get close to spring, we'll be announcing a number of fan experience changes that you can look forward to, that the ownership group will be putting back into Tropicana Field — new video boards, new sound system, of course, the new roof that everybody's looking forward to," Babby said. "We're going to do our part to be able to stand up and celebrate coming home next spring."
Putting a lid on a retractable roof
Zalupski closed the door right away on the idea of building a stadium with a retractable roof. And his reasons go beyond the obvious rain and heat concerns.
"We envision a fully enclosed, domed, climate-controlled, nonretractable ballpark," he said. "There's a lot of issues and maintenance with a retractable roof. Most of the (MLB) owners we've talked to would actually now recommend against it. They wish they hadn't done it."
In addition, Zalupski expects the stadium to offer more than baseball.
"We envision a fully enclosed (stadium) which we think becomes a world-class concert venue. You know, 150,180 events a year. We really think this is something that could be much greater and more encompassing than just a ballpark."
Still on a tight payroll budget
The Rays have remained a competitive franchise despite criticism that their limited payroll keeps them from keeping up with larger-market teams.
Zalupski said that's not going to change any time soon.
"The economics of the club have not changed since we acquired them," Zalupski said.
To remain competitive, he is counting on revenue generated by the multi-use development he wants to build around the new stadium.
Owners out of play on diamond decisions
While we're finally talkin' baseball, don't expect meddling owners. Zalupski, Cosgrove and Babby made it clear that they will leave the on-the-field decisions to Cash and Neander.
"These guys done an incredible job," Zalupski said. "I mean, (I'm) blown away. The more I learn from Eric and Kevin ... we have an incredible organization. We have a self-imposed rule that none of us and none of the partners are allowed to have any influence on the baseball operations."
When asked which players he might consider committing to long-term, Zalupski once again deflected.
"Erik just had his press conference last Wednesday," Zalupski said, referring to Neander's recent postseason review. "We support everything he said at the press conference."
Added Cosgrove: "In Eric and Kevin we trust."
