St. Pete Mayor, Rick Kreisman, came out yesterday and said that talks with the Tampa Bay Rays ownership have ended about the idea that the Rays would share time with the city of Montreal. “As I stated earlier this year, while the City of St. Petersburg is willing to discuss contributing to the funding for a new stadium for a full-time team here in St. Petersburg, we will not contribute public dollars to construct a stadium for a part-time team,” Kriseman wrote. The Rays will play at Tropicana Field through the 2027 season, but that is the last season the team has an agreement with the Trop. “2028 is going to be here before you know it,” said Kriseman. “There are some decisions that the team is going to have to make.” So, will the Rays still be in Tampa Bay for the 2028 season and beyond?
A statement from Rays Principal Owner Stu Sternberg. pic.twitter.com/BVDNFfBJWb
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) December 4, 2019
My door is open if the Rays want to discuss a new stadium in St. Pete. But we are not a part-time city. We are not a part-time region. We are a Major League community. No one can doubt St. Pete and Tampa Bay's trajectory. #SunShinesHere
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) December 4, 2019