PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays announced Thursday that they will not be moving forward with their plans to build a new ballpark as part of a redeveloped Historic Gas Plant District in St. Petersburg.
The Rays made the news official on their social media accounts with a statement from principal owner Stuart Sternberg.
“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment. A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision,” Sternberg wrote. “Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interests of our region, Major League Baseball, and our organization.”
The Rays were facing a March 31 deadline to meet certain obligations showing their intent to move forward with the deal. With the club stepping away, the agreement will be terminated.
MLB issued a statement reiterating its support for keeping the Rays in the area:
“Major League Baseball remains committed to finding a permanent home for the Club in the Tampa Bay region for their fans and the local community. Commissioner Manfred understands the disappointment of the St. Petersburg community from today’s announcement, but he will continue to work with elected officials, community leaders, and Rays officials to secure the club’s future in the Tampa Bay region.”
City Council chairperson Copley Gerdes, a supporter of the project, said he still believes in the area as a viable home for an MLB team.
“I think the city was very diligent in its work, and I think we were trying to create something special, and I continue to believe St. Petersburg is a major league city and both with baseball and hopefully continued with baseball, but no matter what, I think it’s a Major League city,” Gerdes told the Tampa Bay Times.
In a statement, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said the Rays’ decision is “a major disappointment” but not surprising. Welch also said the city will consider a “phased approach” to redeveloping the land, and that it “intends to honor our current commitment to repair Tropicana Field in accordance with the current use agreement.”
“As for the future of baseball in our city -- if in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities, emerges -- we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete,” Welch said. “But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner.”
Council member Richie Floyd echoed that sentiment, expressing optimism about the development project.
“It’s frustrating that we’ve had so much time wasted by unwilling partners, clearly,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. “I think we’re in a good position as a city to still redevelop the area around Tropicana Field and come out ahead of where we would have been.”
The Rays’ original use agreement for Tropicana Field is still in effect. That pact was set to end after the 2027 season, but it is extended by a year for every season the Trop is deemed unusable. Since they cannot play at Tropicana Field this season, then, the agreement extends through the end of the ‘28 campaign. Where they will go after that is now uncertain.
The St. Petersburg City Council is scheduled to vote on March 27 regarding whether the city will repair the Trop. The Rays have said they hope to be back at their home ballpark for Opening Day in 2026, which Sternberg reiterated in his statement on Thursday.
“The City of St. Petersburg is currently advancing plans to restore Tropicana Field for the 2026 season,” Sternberg wrote. “We are thankful for their efforts and are excited to return to our home field next spring.”
The Rays’ long-running search for a new stadium appeared to be over last July, when they celebrated the approval of a $1.3 billion ballpark as part of a massive, $6.5 billion redevelopment project on the 86-acre site of Tropicana Field, their home since their inaugural season in 1998.
But those plans became unsettled in early October, when the Trop sustained significant damage during Hurricane Milton. The Rays found a temporary home for this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Yankees’ Spring Training and Single-A ballpark.
Meanwhile, the Pinellas County Commission twice delayed a vote to approve bonds that would finance the county’s $312.5 million share of the new ballpark. The county commission and St. Petersburg City Council both eventually voted in December to approve their financing, covering $600 million toward the ballpark, but the Rays called for further negotiations.
According to the terms of the initial agreement, the Rays would have committed $700 million and covered any cost overruns for the ballpark, which was set to open in 2028. But the club has said the county’s delays forced them to push back the stadium’s opening by a year, making it unrealistic for them to solely afford the increased cost of construction.