The Tampa Bay Rays would be close to solving the stadium change problem by closing a agreement for the construction of a new facility located in the center of Saint Petersburg, Florida, thus completing one of the main objectives of the organization, securing a new home in the long term.
The Rays reported this Monday that the team’s management, together with Pinellas County, will make an important announcement this Tuesday at Tropicana Field, given this, The Tampa Bay Times reported that the Tampa team is expected to announce the stadium change.
According to information published by MLB.com, The Rays’ contract with the county would begin in 2028 and would last 30 years. Taking into account that the contract with Tropicana Field ends in 2027, the new stadium would be built on the land where the team’s current facility is located, in an 86-acre area also known as the “Historic Gas Plant District.”
It should be remembered that the mayor of Saint Petersburg, Ken Welch, said in January of this year that the Rays and their promoter partner, the Hines real estate company, were his chosen for the remodeling of Tropicana Field, stating that this was “the best path forward for our city.”
This proposal consisted of placing some 30,000 seats for fans, a fixed roof, artificial grass terrain, movable walls and a pavilion. This project would have a cost of $1.2 billion dollars which would be paid for through a public-private partnership between the team, the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
In that sense, Rays majority shareholder Stuart Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times earlier this month that The American League East team expected to pay for “half or more” of the project.
Also read:
– New York Mets make a decision on the rehabilitation of Puerto Rican Edwin Díaz and affirm that he will not pitch this season
– MLB will not make changes to the pitch clock for the 2023 Major League Baseball postseason
– Dominican Frankie Montás saw action in Triple-A and could debut in 2023 with the Yankees before the season ends
