Rays Say New $1.3B Stadium Unlikely to Be Ready for 2028, Cite ‘Unfortunate’ Events

The Tampa Bay Rays informed the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners that the team cannot move forward at the moment with the current deal for a new stadium, which previously looked on track for a 2028 season opening, due to the group’s decision to delay votes on the project.

The entire letter, which was signed by team co-presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, can be found via Colleen Wright of the Tampa Bay Times.

The duo said the organization was “saddened and stunned by this unfortunate turn of events” before explaining the team’s murky stadium future.

“As we have informed the county administrator and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, the county’s failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of a ballpark,” the letter stated in part.

“As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.”

However, the Rays made clear that they “stand ready to work on a new solution with any and all willing partners to preserve the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come.”

Wright provided the details on the delay, which stemmed from Hurricane Milton tearing the roof off the team’s Tropicana Field home in October.

At the time of the vote, it was unknown where the Rays would play the 2025 season (it’s since been confirmed that they’ll play the New York Yankees up to $15 million to play in their spring training home, George M. Steinbrenner Field).

“Pinellas County commissioners voted in July to approve $312.5 million in public financing for the stadium using tourist taxes to pay off the debt. The commission voted 6-1 in October to delay votes on issuing bonds due to uncertainty over where the Rays would play the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton tore off the roof at Tropicana Field.

“The commissioner who led the charge to delay, Chris Latvala, voted no on the deal back in July. He said the team would be taking tourist tax dollars that would pay for the new stadium out of the county and should instead look at playing at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater as their temporary home.

“That decision, made possible by commissioners who were in support of the deal in July when it passed with a 5-2, delayed the bond vote until after the November election. Then, stadium skeptics Vince Nowicki and Chris Scherer were elected and replaced commissioners who were in support of the stadium deal. They could join Latvala and [Dave Eggers], the two no votes in July, to make up a new anti-stadium majority.”

The Rays stated in the letter that they have already put in over $50 million into the project. Per Jack Evans of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays were expected to contribute $700 million total plus cost overruns.

The St. Petersburg City Council ($287.5 million) and Pinellas County Commission ($312.5 million) were on tap for the rest, although the vote delay for the bonds for both now put a huge wrinkle into the plans.

The new anti-stadium majority could be the biggest issue, though. Nowicki in particular is already on the record stating the money could be better served improving county beaches.

“Why would we commit $300 million plus another $300 million in financing cost over 20-30 years without even knowing the state of our beaches, which is a proven fact, the largest economic driver for the county,” Nowicki said, per Melissa Marino of WFLA-TV.

The stadium was set to be the hub of a “mixed-use development” in downtown St. Petersburg. The building would have started in 2025, per Evans.

But now everything appears up in the air after 2025.

“We know we’re going to be in Steinbrenner in 2025 and we don’t know much beyond that,” Auld said in an interview, per Curt Anderson of the Associated Press.

And so, the Rays’ future is flux after it appeared they’d be staying in town long-term.