Confidence in Rays stadium deal appears shaken

[@PauMaz]

Why do we give any public money to billionaire sports owners when there are other pressing issues?

[@grtski]

Hey RICH Billionaire get your checkbook out. Not the Taxpayers money. Hit the BRICKS RAYS.

[@sirchi8731]

​@@grtskinot happening. Nfl mlb and nba all demand their tax funding. Look what happened to Oakland ..and nobody cared. Dodgers and Yankees carried baseball

[@austingleason]

I feel like the rays are going to end up leaving Florida at this point.

[@funes4355]

finally baseball does not work here, it's a waste of taxpayer money

[@부루마블-q8x]

Rays must leave Florida.

[@RhinoXpress]

Orlando wants the rays. Orlando will definitely make a push to get the rays to come to Orlando if no deal will get made in Tampa. Orlando and Nashville will be the two biggest frontrunners to get the rays. I mean as a rays fan I'd much rather see them move to Orlando than Nashville if the rays end up moving. At least I can still go see them play if they move to Orlando.

[@funes4355]

@ the orlando government probably wants the rays but the people in orlando really want is a nfl team

[@KenTheMan407]

@@RhinoXpress no we do not , want nfl team

[@mactheknife7049]

Raleigh, North Carolina will welcome the relocated and rebranded Tampa franchise with open arms.

[@vincentwendt720]

I would think Charlotte would be a more likely candidate to host an a Rays rebrand as its population is higher.

[@mactheknife7049]

@@vincentwendt720 The city itself? Yeah. The radius around the cities that sports franchises consider their home territories? Nope.

[@KennethGreenCMP]

So the choices are - Help millionaires and billionaires build a new stadium with overpriced condos, apartments and shops for the rich vs fixing and upgrading infrastructure that will help protect the city from flooding for everyone. Well thats easy - Lets give welfare to the rich.

[@marioq8395]

I think the Rays move to Nashville eventually.

[@mactheknife7049]

No, they need that market open for a $2 billion expansion fee.

[@fr0103]

Hurricanes Helene and Milton gave Pinellas County and the city of St. Petersburg an excuse to back out of the deal. The Rays, the team itself (not the ownership), deserves a better fan base than the fair-weather baseball fans of St. Pete and Tampa. Nashville will accept a new MLB team with open arms and treat the Rays right.

[@hotwax9376]

I'd agree that hurricane relief is more important, but the money offered in this plan would come from the budget to promote tourism, and building a new ballpark certainly fits that purpose.

[@vincentwendt720]

Tropicana Field isn't in a great location to begin with. The hurricane damage is just the icing on the cake.

[@NHLCrazy2007]

Wow, I think this is just a piss poor excuse to get out of the deal, not face public scrutiny and be at risk of losing their jobs. If they are going to be pissed that the Rays opted to temporarily play at Steinbrenner Field because it is in Hillsborough County instead of your county, your actions may very well backfire. Did they ever even ask the Rays why they opted for that facility for next season? Ever think that Major League Baseball had a say in approving or rejecting a temporary site to play? Or that MLB teams who hold their spring training games in Pinellas County did not reach a deal with the Rays to host their regular season games for at least 1 season? The Rays needed certainty as soon as possible on where to play next season. And if this is one of the main reseasons why the team might leave the region for another market, then only they will have to live with that outcome.

[@michaeldavisnj88]

@NHLCrazy2007 I have a difficult time thinking the Rays were not subject to MLB approval. Now I'm a Yankee fan by the way, but it needs to be noted after the 2001 season your team could've no longer existed at least in MLB after only 4 years. You guys WERE at least considered, but those two picks ended up being the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. But the union successfully blocked the move and that's why this league still has 30 teams. Please know that MLB really does have that kind of power though.

[@ericedwards3055]

They could have at least picked up the phone and called them before they announced they're playing in Tampa. Hillsborough County has had their chance. They announced something like 8 years ago about how they want the Rays in ybor city (which won't work not enough parking) but Hillsborough won't give them the money. Well now that the Rays are desperate they may have to take a crappy deal. Stu should sell part of the team to get money to finance more of a new stadium.

[@fredaskar3348]

Come to Vancouver

[@AnthonyScarpa-er3sq]

Why not let them play at the Yankees spring training facility George Steinbrenner Field it's in Tampa

[@DeadAir21]

Because of pettiness. Even though they’re are located in the same metro, they are in two different counties and for some reason St Pete/Pinellas county always feel they have to compete with Tampa/Hillsborough county.

[@enriqueavalos]

Move them to Salt Lake City.

[@tobiojo6469]

They might as well move to Nashville at this point

[@JEFFK1963]

Maybe now, they can build their new stadium in Tampa, which will be a much better place for their stadium anyway.

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

Just move the club to Nashville or Charlotte or Raleigh

[@vincentwendt720]

San Antonio, TX; San Jose, CA; Indianapolis, IN; Buffalo, NY; Salt Lake City, UT; Ottawa, ON. There's a lot of major cities the club could move to.

[@DaemonPix]

say hello to your Nashville Rays

[@povertyspec9651]

The Trop was a dump from the very day it opened. How that was ever built is beyond me.

[@LucasEB22]

Orlando rays?

[@vincentwendt720]

Maybe Jacksonville?

[@jeffc1347]

Orange County Commissioners were way less receptive to the idea than Pinellas County commissioners. There was one guy that wanted it (Pat Williams) and the commissioners didn't even consider it.

[@tomgeauvreau7099]

Back to Montreal in 2026. You watch!

[@mikebritcom3171]

I think you're confusing the Rays with the Nationals.

[@tomgeauvreau7099]

What do the Nationals have to do with Montreal. The Rays were considering a move to play haif their home games there 2yrs. Ago.

[@mikebritcom3171]

@@tomgeauvreau7099 Considering. As a new stadium bargaining chip. MLB will never put another team in Canada after the lockdown debacle. What do the Nationals have to do with Montreal? Um.....the Nationals were the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 2004. They could actually go "back to Montreal" because they were once there. The Rays have not.