Tropicana Field

“The home of the Tampa Bay Rays is right here at Tropicana Field," co-owner and CEO Ken Babby said.

The Rays made it official that they'll be back at a repaired Tropicana Field this season and say they are offering a 15% cut on more than two-thirds of the seats. Also, a return to earlier weeknight game times.

Anyone who's interested in redeveloping the Tropicana Field site now has a couple of extra months to get a plan together. That's because the deadline has been moved back to February.

“Anybody who was interested in it will have that 60-day time period to do something, and this has been talked about for a long time.”

The World Baseball Classic puts a few twists on the Grapefruit and Cactus League slates. Tampa Bay opens Feb. 21 in Port Charlotte and makes only one trip to the Steinbrenner Field.

Said St. Petersburg City Council chair Copley Gerdes: “We’ve got a responsibility to move both intentionally and quickly.”

Council member Brandi Gabbard believes the Urban Land Institute (ULI) can provide that “guiding document” for city officials.

The Rays' new owners are talking about a "public-private partnership" being the only way a new stadium could be built in the Tampa Bay area. There are a few ways that could take shape.

Will the Rays consider an open-field stadium or a retractable roof? And will the new owners increase player payroll? They addressed these, and other issues, during their introductory news conference.

At an introductory news conference, Patrick Zalupski and top executives Ken Babby and Bill Cosgrove said there is a sense of urgency to get a ballpark built as part of a revenue-generating, mixed-use development.

"The Rays and St. Pete can negotiate that land, and they’ll stay out of it."

The Rays’ new ownership group, if it chooses to stay in St. Petersburg beyond 2028, will have significant space to build a new stadium.