Tampa Bay Rays won’t move forward with stadium deal

Tropicana Field repairs still aiming for 2026 opening day.

The Tampa Bay Rays will not meet the upcoming deadline to move forward with a stadium deal, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

The Rays have until March 31 to move forward with the stadium deal, a $1.3 billion facility plus the development of surrounding land in the Historic Gas Plant District.

But the team posted a statement on its social media accounts announcing that “after careful deliberation,” it “cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment.”

The team blamed “a series of events beginning in October” for its “difficult decision.” That’s in reference to Hurricane Milton, which blew the roof off the Rays’ current home at Tropicana Field, and led to approval delays for bonds necessary to move forward with the deal.

The team has said those bond approval delays caused cost overruns and blamed the city of St. Pete and Pinellas County for hitches in what had seemed like a done deal. The city and county, meanwhile, have both approved their sides of the deal, leading to the Rays facing a deadline to move forward.

In its announcement, the team thanked its fans and corporate partners and promised “an exciting and fun season” as Opening Day approaches. With Tropicana Field still being damaged, the team will be playing its 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, a location choice that prompted the delays leading to this point.

The statement, attributed to Rays Principal owner Stuart Sternberg, said the team is “excited to return to our home field next spring,” noting that the city of St. Pete is “currently advancing plans to restore Tropicana Field for the 2026 season.”

Sternberg wrote that the team leadership’s “commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering,” and hinted that a Tampa Bay area stadium may still be in play.

“We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interests of our region, Major League Baseball, and our organization,” he wrote.

The announcement comes just days after reports that investors were lining up to purchase the Rays, with intentions to keep the team in St. Pete.

In a statement after the announcement, Welch said the decision “is a disappointment,” but “is not unexpected,” and he emphasized that it is not “the end of the Historic Gas Plant District story.”

“The city will continue to pursue all avenues that will help us deliver on our ultimate goal: utilizing the HGPD property to benefit the community and fulfilling the 40-year-old promises of economic development and opportunity made to the African-American community in St. Petersburg, as well as the community priorities identified through the current development process, which began in 2022,” Welch wrote. 

As for the future of baseball in the city, Welch wrote that the city would “consider a partnership” but would “not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner.” He made specific reference to the possibility of a new owner.