Sta Sternberg, owner of the Rays of Tampa Bay, is forced to sell his team by Mlb Commissioner Rob Manfred and “Some other owners”, ” According to athletics.
More about the situation:
A sale is not close, but several groups with Florida links have expressed their interest in the team, people said informed of the process. One includes the family of Edward Debartolo Jr., who owns the 49ers of San Francisco and has roots in Tampa, three people said on discussions. The former owner of the New York Yankees minority, Joe Molloy, is also involved in this effort, but does not have the same financial weight as Debartolo.
Dan Doyle Jr., the CEO of an office equipment company based in Tampa which tried to buy the Rays in 2023, would also be interested again.
“What I can say now is the following: the team plans to stay in Saint Petersburg, and we are fully committed to building on the excellent work that the city and the county have already done,” said Molloy said to Tampa Bay Times Sunday. “We are incredibly enthusiastic about this opportunity, and that’s all I can share for the moment.”
If not St. Pete, other potential bidders have watched Tampa (where the Rays will play at home for the 2025 season in George M. Steinbrenner Field), Ybor City or Orlando.
Sternberg has tried to secure a new stadium for over 17 years, an effort has only made damage only Tropicana Field suffered in Hurricane Milton. Manfred and MLB seem to have had enough and sources told Athletic that the Rays could risk losing a part or all of their money sharing money if the ball club does not firm up the plans for a new stadium. Sternberg and local leaders fought all winter to finance the stadium agreement of $ 1.3 billion in the gas plant district.
If a sale materializes, the Rays could be the fourth baseball franchise in the major league to sell since the beginning of 2019. This places them in class with the Orioles of Baltimore ($ 1.725 billion), New York Mets (2.475 billion dollars) and the Kansas City Royals ($ 1 billion). The Nationals of Washington and the Los Angeles Angels were also on the market at one time or another without finalizing, while the twins of Minnesota should be sold before the day of opening 2025.
The Rays faced an eventful off -season that started with the roof in Dome of Tropicana Field damaged in a hurricane. (The team will have to Play his home games this season at Steinbrenner FieldThe house of the Florida State LEAGUE of New York Yankees Florida.) The high management of the team then embarked on a controversial winter with local politicians – The one who raised questions about the long-term future of the shelves in the Saint Petersburg region.
Initially awarded to Vince Naimoli as an expansion team, the Rays played their inaugural season in 1998. They only recorded their first winning season in 2008, but they have since reached the eliminatory series nine times. In fact, last season first scored in six years, they failed to qualify for the playoffs.
