TAMPA -- Rays managing partner and co-chair Patrick Zalupski laid out the club’s criteria and plans to build a new ballpark in the area that will be ready for Opening Day in 2029.
Zalupski, who officially took over as the control person for Tampa Bay’s new ownership group last week, said the Rays want to build a fixed-roof stadium -- a “forever home” -- to “anchor a best-in-class mixed-use development” that would require at least 100 acres of land for what he called a “world-class live/work/play experience.”
Finding a long-term home for the Rays was a long-running and ultimately elusive challenge for former principal owner Stuart Sternberg, leading him to sell the team. Zalupski, co-chair Bill Cosgrove and chief executive officer Ken Babby believe the new ownership group can get it done and secure the Rays’ future in the area.
“We are just getting started. We've got a lot of work ahead of us,” Zalupski said. “It's going to be challenging, but we're confident that we can be successful here in Tampa Bay.”
Zalupski said they are looking “everywhere” in the region for the right location, not wanting to limit their search as they evaluate their options. That means they will remain open to Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, and Zalupski said they have meetings scheduled this week with officials in both Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Part of the new owners’ agreement with Sternberg was that they would not hold any discussions with public officials until the deal closed, so they are just now beginning the process in earnest. For that reason, they didn’t have any definitive answers about where a new ballpark could be built or how it will be paid for, other than Zalupski noting it’s “critical to have a public/private partnership.”
“To be clear, it is our first and highest priority to find that home here in Tampa Bay,” Zalupski said during an introductory press conference on Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “We understand the history and how important it is to get it right for the fans, our employees, the entire Tampa Bay region and Major League Baseball. We're confident that working together we'll find the right path forward.”
Citing The Battery Atlanta around the Braves’ Truist Park as the “gold standard,” Zalupski said a significant amount of land is critical to build the ideal mixed-use development with a ballpark surrounded by hotels, office and retail space, bars and restaurants and a music venue. Zalupski said his group has already spent plenty of time studying The Battery and meeting with the Braves.
“Not only is it an incredible experience for the fans, the community, the players, but it is what you have to have in today's Major League Baseball to be successful,” he said. “We think without that revenue generation, it's going to be really, really challenging or nearly impossible to compete with the major markets. So for us, this is critical to building a championship team.”
Zalupski said there are “probably more sites that meet the criteria than you would realize” in the Tampa Bay area, but they aren’t simply looking for the largest space available.
“More is better, but it's also a balance of location, quality of location,” he said. “We want a great location and as much land as we can get.”
While a new ballpark is their top priority, Babby noted the Rays must be “a little ambidextrous about the way that we operate” as they plan their return to Tropicana Field on April 6 and fulfill a use agreement covering three more seasons.
Babby said it would be “premature” to discuss an extension beyond 2028, as the Rays are focused on having a new ballpark ready in ‘29, but St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said the city is “open to talking about that” if needed.
The club was forced out of the Trop and into Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ Spring Training park, this year due to damage caused by Hurricane Milton last October. Welch said the city expects to have half of the Trop’s 24 roof panels installed this week, putting them on track to have the roof fully replaced by the end of the year.
In addition to those repairs, Babby said the Rays’ new owners are investing in a new video board, a new sound system and other initiatives to upgrade the Trop.
“I think Tropicana Field is going to look better than it has ever looked in April,” Babby said. “The city behind the scenes is doing wonderful work. The team is doing work, spending a lot of time together thinking about how we can enhance that experience, because we are going to be there despite our objective of being in a new ballpark in '29.”