The Trop Has New Amenities for Fans

Fans are worried that the Tampa Bay Rays might split the season with Montreal, but it looks like Tropicana Field is doubling down with it comes to new attractions for baseball fans.  Read more and view photos here.  Speaking of Montreal, read more here.

Does Ybor City Ballpark Still Make Sense for Shared Rays Team?

Hillsborough County should still work on bringing the Tampa Bay Rays across the Bay even if the team makes good on its idea to split future seasons with Montreal.  County Commissioner Ken Hagan said Wednesday that the county is still exploring the creation of an entertainment district in Ybor City, a venture that could include a small multi-use sports stadium as a potential future home for the Rays.  Read more here.

Rays’ Sternberg Makes First Public Comments About Playing in Two Home Ballparks

At times wistful and at other times defensive, Stu Sternberg made his first public comments since Commissioner Rob Manfred surprised the baseball world last week by announcing that he’d granted the Tampa Bay Rays permission to explore splitting home games between Tampa Bay (FL) and Montreal (QC).  Read more and watch full press conference here.

Tampa Mayor Says Latest Proposed Site for New Ballpark is DOA

Four months after the Tampa Bay Rays’ search for a new home hit a dead end in Ybor City, a development partnership is pitching a new ballpark site to Tampa City Hall, where Mayor Bob Buckhorn has pronounced it dead on arrival.  Buckhorn leaves office May 1 because of term limits.  Read more here.

No More Upper Deck Seating for Rays Games

The Tampa Bay Rays, who ranked next to last in the majors in attendance last season, are eliminating more than 10,000 seats in the upper deck in an effort to create a more “intimate” experience for fans at Tropicana Field.  The Rays also indicated that will would add a premium seating section in the lower level.  Read more here.

Rays Ybor City Ballpark Plan Dead

Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said the plan to build a stadium in Ybor City (FL) is no longer viable but the team remains committed, for now, to looking again for a new home in the Tampa Bay area.  Read more here.

Rays Buying Rowdies

The Tampa Bay Rays struck a deal to buy the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer club they say was made only to get into the soccer business and has no connection to the effort to find new home for their baseball team.  The deal includes at least short-term control of downtown waterfront Al Lang Stadium.  Read more here.

Rays Seek Ballpark Financing Structure Before Deadline

The Tampa Bay Rays are pushing Hillsborough officials to present a financing “structure” for a new ballpark before its deal to look for a home outside of St. Petersburg runs out Dec. 31.  Read more here.

Clear Sailing for Fly Balls in Proposed New Rays Ballpark

The roof at the Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed ballpark in Ybor City is about the same height at its peak — 230 feet, give or take — as at Tropicana Field, but the similarities end there.  Read more here.

Possible Passenger Rail Service Nearby for Proposed Ybor City Ballpark

Brightline, a firm bidding to build a high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando, is already scouting sites for a terminus, which could put rail service within walking distance of a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark proposed for Ybor City and spur heated development in the area.  Read more here.

Rays Unveil Ybor City Ballpark Design

The Tampa Bay Rays today unveiled plans for an Ybor City stadium that has see-through walls, a fixed translucent roof enclosed, and integrated into the neighborhood with an evolving design.  Read more here.  Learn more details here.

Rays to Hold Ballpark Unveiling Event Next Week, Site Now Eligible for Federal Tax Breaks

The Rays are planning a media event for Tuesday in Ybor City (FL) in which they are expected to present design renderings of the proposed new stadium and some information regarding costs.  Read more here.  The work likely got easier with the targeted site’s recent designation as a federal economic opportunity zone under the tax-cut legislation passed into law last December.  Read more here.

Gubernatorial Candidates Debate State Money for Proposed New Rays Ballpark

If three of the four Democrats running for governor win in November, the Tampa Bay Rays shouldn’t bother asking the state for money to help build a new ballpark in Ybor City.  Read more here.

Newly Formed ‘Rays 100’ Will Push for Team’s Proposed Move to Ybor City

Tampa Bay Rays 2020 held a kickoff reception on Wednesday where the nonprofit organization announced the formation of a sub-group, called Rays 100, made up of Tampa Bay business and community leaders who are dedicated to ushering in the next generation of Rays baseball in Ybor City.  Read more here.

Record-Setting Tourism Year Bolsters Case to Raise Hotel Tax for New Rays Ballpark

For the elected officials who want to see the Tampa Bay Rays move to Ybor City, it’s especially good news that Hillsborough County had a record-setting year collecting the Tourist Development Tax, which now sits at 5 cents per dollar spent by visitors to stay at hotels, motels and other short-term rentals.  There is interest in raising the tax by 1 cent to help pay for a new ballpark.  Read more here.

Rays Set to Announce Target Location for Ballpark

After years of speculation and courtship, the Tampa Bay Rays are finally expected to announce Friday that they want to relocate the team to a site Ybor City near the Channel District, according to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.  Read more here.

County Official: Rays’ $150 Million Contribution Won’t Be Enough for New Ballpark

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said Thursday that it will take more than $150 million from the Tampa Bay Rays to build a ballpark in Ybor City.  Read more here.

Rays Picked Ybor City Site, Not County

The Ybor City site announced last week as the preferred spot for a Tampa ballpark was chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays not Hillsborough County, according to county administrator Mike Merrill.  Read more here.

A ‘Very Urban Ballpark’ for Rays Means No Big Surface Parking Lots

If a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark ever gets built at the most recent presented location on southern edge of Ybor City, there will likely be no gigantic surface parking lots outside this baseball stadium.  Instead, sports fans would have to park in garages, use transit and — brace yourselves — even walk to games.  Read more here.

Hillsborough County Chooses Proposed Ballpark Site

Hillsborough County (FL) leaders have decided where they want to put a Tampa ballpark, entering them officially in the sweepstakes to be the next home of the Tampa Bay Rays.  The county will offer the Rays a location in the Channel District-Ybor City area bordered by 15th Street and Channelside Drive to the east and west and Fourth Avenue and Adamo Drive to the north and south.  Read more here.

Officials Expand Land Search to West Shore for Rays New Ballpark

It is proving harder than expected to put together the land needed for a Tampa Bay Rays ballpark near downtown Tampa, and now local officials are exploring another option in the West Shore area.  Read more here.

Manfred: Time to Move Rays Ballpark Decision to Front Burner

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wants Tampa Bay to work a little quicker on getting the Tampa Bay Rays a new ballpark.  Read more here.  Read more here from Times Sports Columnist Tom Jones.

Channel District-Ybor for Potential Rays Ballpark?

Officials trying to lure the Tampa Bay Rays across the water are aggressively working to secure a site for a ballpark in the Channel District-Ybor City area, and hope to make an announcement soon.  Read more here.

Despite Hosting MLB All-Star Game, Florida Teams Struggling for Fans

A Miami Marlins fan walks into a bar, and this is no joke:  He wants to watch his team play, but all 10 televisions are tuned to other games in other time zones.  The bar, located near Marlins Park, broadcasts the lack of allegiance for the home team loud and clear.  Read more here.

So, No State Funds for Rays New Ballpark?

Well into its search for a new ballpark, the Tampa Bay Rays are finding that the era of easy public money is over.  Not only is the Legislature opposed to using state money for stadiums and arenas, but lawmakers are increasingly hostile to using any type of public support — even if local taxpayers agree to it.  Read more here.

St. Pete Makes Pitch for Rays

Shortly before throwing out the first pitch at Tropicana Field on Wednesday evening, St. Petersburg (FL) Mayor Rick Kriseman made a much more important pitch to the Tampa Bay Rays: Stay put.  Watch video here.

Top-Five Locations for Tampa Bay Rays Ballpark Not Available

According to principal owner Stuart Sternberg, the Tampa Bay Rays’ top-five choices for a new stadium — three in Tampa and two in St. Petersburg — are unavailable.  That may push the team’s time line for finding a new site from August to the end of 2017.  Read more here.

With World Series Over, Time for New Rays to Montreal Rumors

On Sunday, a Montreal freelance journalist, Pierre Trudel, tweeted that Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg had commissioned a viability study for a baseball stadium in Montreal’s Griffin Town neighborhood.  Read more here.

Hillsborough County Exploring Ways to Fund New Rays Ballpark

The brainstorming is well underway for Hillsborough County (FL) officials who are exploring creative ways to fund a new ballpark in Tampa to lure the Tampa Bay Rays from St. Petersburg across the bay.  Read more here.

Oldsmar Mayor Dreams Big, Makes Pitch for Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have yet to reveal where they would like to build a new ballpark, but that has not deterred Oldsmar (FL) Mayor Doug Bevis from pitching the north Pinellas city of just 14,000 people as the best location for a new multi-million dollar stadium.  Read more here

Rays Launch Ballpark Website

The Tampa Bay Rays on Monday launched ballparkreimagined.com where fans can submit ideas about what they see as must-haves in a new ballpark.  Read more here.

A Look at 17 Possible Sites for New Rays Ballpark

As efforts ramp up to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in Pinellas County — and ward off a heavy challenge from Hillsborough County — officials recently identified 10 possible locations for a new stadium.  To add to the 10, county commissioners recently asked staffers to find more St. Petersburg sites.  Tampa Bay Times staff writer Mark Puente has compiled a list of 17 sites with the pros and cons of each.  Read more here.  Read more and view photos of the Snug Harbor site here.

Pinellas County Pitches 10 Possible Sites for New Rays Ballpark

The saga over where to build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays grew murkier Tuesday as Pinellas County unveiled a list with 10 possible sites that officials hope could keep the team from crossing the bay.  Read more here.

No Upper Deck for Next Rays Ballpark?

Tampa Bay Rays executives want a stadium without the shrine mystique of many baseball parks.  Instead, they’re exploring ways to draw casual or non-baseball fans all year long — not just 81 days a year.  Read more here.

Rays Explore Nine Potential Ballpark Sites

Tampa Bay Rays executives met with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials Tuesday for their first discussion of specific potential baseball stadium sites in the county.  Read more here.

Council Votes 5-3 to Let Rays Looks Elsewhere

A nearly decade-long stalemate between the city and the Tampa Bay Rays ended Thursday after the St. Petersburg (FL) City Council agreed to let the club look elsewhere for a new home.  Read more and watch news report here.

Rays Reject St. Pete Stadium Exploration Proposal

As expected, the Tampa Bay Rays have rejected a proposal by St. Petersburg (FL) City Council member Jim Kennedy that would have allowed the team to explore locations for a new stadium, but cost them millions if they left the city.  Read more here.

Mayor Will Not Ask Council to Vote on Revised Rays Relo Proposal

St. Petersburg (FL) Mayor Rick Kriseman has decided against asking the City Council to vote on a revised proposal to allow the Tampa Bay Rays to search for new ballpark sites on both sides of Tampa Bay.  Read more here.

Rays to Seek New Home by 2022, With or Without St. Pete’s Permission

In an interview with Tampa Bay Times staff writer Stephen Nohlgren, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg vows to seek a replacement for Tropicana Field no later than 2022, with or without approval from St. Petersburg (FL).  Read more here.

New MLB Commish Optimistic About Tampa Bay

Though talks between the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Petersburg (FL) officials on the stadium issue are again stalled — at least publicly — since the failed vote, new baseball commissioner Rob Manfred spoke encouragingly Friday about a new facility and the Tampa Bay market overall.  Read more here.