Tampa Bay Rays New Stadium Officially Dead, Raising Relocation Concerns

The Tampa Bay Rays stadium situation is an unmitigated disaster.

After more than two decades at Tropicana Field, not too long ago, it looked like the Rays would finally be able to build a new, modern, desirable stadium in St. Petersburg. The team, the city and the county announced they'd come to an arrangement on a $1.3 billion project that would pay for a new stadium and development around it.

But the Rays on Thursday announced that they are officially pulling out of the deal, saying they'd be unable to fulfill their required obligations.

Team owner Stu Sternberg released a statement confirming their intention. 

"After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment," Sternberg said. "A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision."

"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 interest of our region, Major League Baseball and our organization."

Tropicana Field. Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Situation Keeps Getting Worse

The league commented on Thursday's news, saying its "committed" to keeping the Rays in the Tampa region.

"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," an MLB statement said. "Commissioner (Rob) 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."

No matter what the spin may be, this is a disaster for the Rays, Tampa and Major League Baseball. Rumors broke recently that MLB would try to force Sternberg to sell, and that seems even more likely after the collapse of this stadium arrangement. 

Tropicana Field is likely to be unusable for the next few years, at a minimum. With the time it takes to come to a new arrangement with local government, it's hard to see the Rays moving out of a spring training facility anytime in the near future. Which is unacceptable for the top level of professional baseball. 

With the stadium deal dead, new ownership and relocation becomes a real possibility. Plenty of other cities are chomping at the bit to get MLB in their region. Given current ownership, that might be the only way forward.