Either move the Rays to Tampa proper or let them out of the area entirely. Half of the Trop's problem is the location. I'd hate to see a new stadium in St. Pete.
True, but the other half of the problem is that retirees make up a disproportionate segment of Tampa's population and seniors don't attend live sports events, they only watch on TV.
@@GeraldM_inNC Tampa hasn't been a retirement community in almost 3 decades. Things have changed drastically. Lightning home games are always packed within the arena and in the entertainment district around it. If the Rays move next door between Channelside and Ybor, it'll give them the best chance in the area.
@@saintbrownthetrojan because I don’t think Disney currently has famous kangaroo. There may be a need there to make a baseball kangaroo like a tall drink of water like a degrom kangaroo.
@@ericB3444cry harder Orlando is one of the biggest media markets without an MLB team. If the Rays can’t secure a deal with the city of Tampa then Orlando is the move.
I'm not even a hardcore Rays fan but I'd be sad if they relocated. They've completely outclassed the Yankees and Red Sox this year on the field on an absolute shoestring budget by comparison, and this isn't the first time that's happened. It's time for the cheapskate owner to finally pony up some real cash for a stadium that the fans deserve in Tampa
💯 I'm a Yankees fan who likes in St Pete and contrary to popular belief, the Rays do have fans. They just have the worst stadium and it's inconvenient to get to.
The NHL's Lightning played at the Trop when it was called the Thunderdome. When they moved to Amalie Arena near downtown Tampa, that's when their popularity really took off. The team got really good, won a few Cups, and is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. While attracting an MLB team may have been one of the original goals of building the place, it was also designed to be multipurpose to some degree. Fast forward to today. I agree that putting a new ballpark in St. Pete again would not be good in the long run; reality is that the majority of people there live on the Tampa side of the area, and I've heard getting across the bay on the bridges closest to the Trop is a nightmare. Supposedly, there's a deal on the table in which the Rays would heavily invest in St. Pete -- which I've heard has become really nice -- and would also be able to have more say so in the area immediately around any new ballpark that might be built. Last I heard, there would be a ballpark built right next to the Trop. Will it happen? I don't know. The Rays owner gave a fairly firm deadline of after the 2023 MLB season (this season as I write this) for an agreement to be in place. Earlier this year, he said he'd be willing to work with both Tampa and St. Pete, maybe along with some suburbs, but that if a deal wasn't done by the end of 2023, then "there is essentially no deal to be had" (approximate quote from the owner). The team's lease at the Trop is up at the end of the 2027 season, but as we know, it takes time to build the park, shore up some infrastructure, etc. If the end of 2023 fairly firm deadline isn't met, then I see the team leaving Florida, likely to Nashville or Charlotte.
The problem is not as much the Rays needing to fund the stadium themselves, as someone else said, more that there is no area in Tampa big enough to complete something like this. That includes the Ybor plot of land the team previously bought, which I don't even know if they still control. Much of Tampa has already been bought up, and there just aren't enough plots of land left to make it a feasible move for them to go to the area, even though the team would draw much more. The Bolts had the ability to do so because the footprint of Amalie is significantly smaller and was easily able to be developed into a lively place to be. The existing plot of land in St. Pete unfortunately is the only place for them to be able to do what they want to do with building a new stadium and redevelopment area
This crap has been dragging out since 2008. He is running the lease out. He wants outta here!! He isn't going to sell the team until he moves from here. Then he will sell them and make big money.
@@alexmurphy8837 Granted, I've not been to Tampa in about 25 years, so things are likely very different now. I do know that the area has grown, though. Is there really no place to build a new ballpark in Tampa or St. Pete (except for putting one in a parking lot next door to the Trop), keeping in mind that most of the population lives on the Tampa side of the bay? Even a suburb would be better than the team leaving Florida. Moving them to Orlando doesn't make sense to me. I don't understand why the Ybor City proposal couldn't have worked. Perhaps you can enlighten me. When that deal fell through, I thought that it wasn't a matter of if, but when, the Rays would leave Florida entirely. Sadly, I still feel that way. If they build a new ballpark in St. Pete, they're doing nothing to resolve the main complaint that I've been hearing for years from Rays fans: St. Pete is too far away. That may be true for certain segments of the population, especially the elderly, but that by itself doesn't seem to be a massive impediment to a deal being reached. Regarding how long it takes to get over the bridges from Tampa to St. Pete, I've heard it can take an hour or more. That's a long time, but I've heard of worse. Honestly, if people can make a *round trip* from their homes to the ballpark and back again in no more than about 2.5 hours or often a little less, that would seem to be acceptable. If it takes 3 hours *round trip*, I can see where that might be tiresome for STH or people who attend games more than about 2x/season. Even attending a single game would be tiresome if you're spending more time in your car than you do at the game. At that point, it might be time to cut bait.
@@TimSmith-uc4pk If that's the case, Sternberg is almost as bad as Fisher in Oakland. The Rays aren't a dumpster fire of a team like the A's are, so I'll give Sternberg that. Another difference between Tampa Bay and Oakland/Vegas is that to my knowledge, Manfred isn't kissing Sternberg's ass like he is Fisher's. Why waive the relocation fee for the A's but not the Rays? Why did Manfred flat out lie about some things pertaining to the A's deal while not making promises or talking to Sternberg or anyone else in the Rays organization? Even the fans could be addressed informally, but I doubt that happens. If Sternberg's as bad as Fisher in such ways, then he deserves to be run out of town on a rail. For whatever reasons, while spring training is and always has been very popular in Florida, having ML teams based there to play a 162 game season + playoffs hasn't worked there. If the Marlins weren't already in and at least partially paying for a relatively new ballpark, I think they would've left Miami and Florida years ago. Barring a miracle, I expect the Rays to move to another city in another state to begin the 2028 season. MLB would be insane to grant a third MLB team to Florida, whether in Orlando or elsewhere. I suppose there's a *very* small chance that the Rays move to Orlando, but I don't know if I'd even put that over 5%.
@@moose2021 from speaking with people I know and those in and around the area, Ybor was destined to fail because the plot of land itself was too small, but most importantly, imo, the team personally jacked up the price tag of the stadium to make it near impossible for local tax payers and city/county governments to want to support. They said it would cost $892 million, the majority of which I would have to assume public taxpayers would take the brunt of knowing Stu won't cough up funds like that. There are certainly other ways to get to the Trop aside from the main thoroughfare. Taking 275 on the otherside to go through is another option, but the Trop does itself no favors with not a lot of exits to get off the highway and not a lot of exits out of the stadium itself after the game. It's a gridlocked area, but it's in a good spot considering the growth of downtown st pete literally right next to it. I agree St. Pete is not best for the growth of the fanbase, but considering how stupid the city was back in 1990 trying to attract a team to the area, only for it to be used as a lure to get their own cities to provide public funds for new stadium development, and the fact that the Yankees got in good with Tampa a few years earlier and took up what is now a fantastic spot right off Dale Mabry next to RayJay, the Trop location is literally the only place to rebuild.
If they don't stay in the Tampa area, they should come to Orlando, but keep the Rays name. They could call the stadium "Dreamers Park". Imagine spring training being played at ESPN wide world of sports complex.
There a few locations in that the Rays can move and build a stadium with retractable roofs 45,000 capacity within the area. 1 Tampa Bay Downs 2 AL Lopez Park 3 Ybor City if there is more land. 4 New Tampa, if those are not feasible then move to Orlando or Jacksonville.
All we are hearing locally from both side is that the stadium lease negotiations in St Pete are going well. Huge upside for the Rays since their plan was chosen for the redevelopment of the Trop site. Also Pinellas county has the funding mechanism already in place and needs to be extended. Tampa has already said if the Rays come there, they have to pay for the stadium (Tampa already paying for RayJay, Amelie and Steinbrenner and don’t have the money). The market is around 4 million people and the Rays have very good TV ratings.
I am an ex Rays season ticket holder who lives in Hillsborough County. I agree with your post. The problem as I see it is location, location,location. Building a new stadium of gold in the same location is a fools errand. Fans will simply not fight the traffic to go to the Trop location. Ownership wants the taxpayers to build the Rays a new playpen. I say no. MLB and the Rays can well afford to build their own stadium so stop crying poormouth. If that means the Rays will relocate so be it. I, for one, am tired of corporate welfare.
@@steveglasser4147 "taxpayer" money for theses project usually comes for the sale of 30 year bonds meaning they wouldn;t be paid off until either you are no longer living in the area or no longer living. Also "taxpayer" money can come from tourist taxes which does not affect you either. No one is cancelling their vacation because their hotel room has an extra 50 cents per night tax on it
The Rays needs to build a stadium IN TAMPA. Tropicana Fields flaws is not only the design, its the location of the site. If the Rays had in Tampa, they can bring in a crowd. Prove me wrong.
I've stated this in a previous Depressed Ginger video: The Rays are the ONLY team in the TB area, but the Athletics are the "other" team in the SF Bay Area.
I have a waterfull idea. If the Rays manage to stay in their current city, they should go back to a similar version of their original name as the Tampa Bay Sting Rays. The new name would make a big splash with the fans. I'm fairly stuck on this great idea and if you don't agree with me, well...clearly you're a raycist. T
Maybe the MLB should make all the owners pitch in some of their money all stadium renovations or constructions to reduce the amount of public funds needed for stadium renovations or constructions and reduces the chance of relocating any MLB team. In fact all major sports leagues should do this
I love that rendering of the Ybor city inlet dome complex. I think the Ray's would do a lot better in attendance on that side of the bay. That's the same area kind of as the Lightning and Buccaneers who seem to do alright. Build that one, I might move to Tampa.
I think there's a 99% chance the Rays stay in Florida, though staying in St. Pete's is nuts - Tampa residents don't want to make the drive there. I believe the Rays will move to either Tampa or Orlando because the owners want the estimated $2B expansion fee from both Nashville and likely Salt Lake City and there's no chance Austin or San Antonio get a team (Astros and Rangers will deep six any attempt to do so). Portland or Charlotte? I highly doubt it. Montreal? Nope.
With the star players demanding $40 mil a year now the small market teams aren't financially viable. I believe 4 small market teams should merge into two and split their schedules.
The Tampa Bay Area doesn’t have a lot of choice stadium sites in the immediate area around Tampa/ St. Pete. The Rays might have little choice in the matter.
@@saintbrownthetrojanit’s actually misleading though, while many Canadians are blue jays fans, most Montrealers would rather support their own team than watch a team from Toronto. But I’m still confident if Washington tried 3 times, Montreal can get it right the second.
@@GeraldM_inNC the Expos failing in Montreal had more to do with Selig and Loria, and less to do with the fans or the city itself. Similar to what Manfred and Fisher are doing to the A's
I’m a rays fan, I live in Tampa, but I have lived in Kissimmee/Orlando for many years…. And I must admit the team will have much better attendance in Orlando. There’s a HHUUUGE hispanic community there that LOVES baseball, and a hide inflow of tourist from other cities and countries that would love to attend a game or 2
That's what I've been screaming for years. If not on the State Fairgrounds area, at least somewhere near the I-4 and I-75 area exchanges to get people from north, south, east and west.
Moving to tenesee (nashville or memphis) or raleigh north carolina i think would be good. theres already nashville predators, memphis grizzlies, carolina hurricanes and panthers.
A butt hurt commenter jumped all over my statement about this subject on another channel but here it goes. A couple of things here: The Dreamers? What kind of name is that? No way LOL.. The Rays should only choose to stay in FL if they get what they want in Tampa. Otherwise they should move to Nashville. Nashville is primed for a MLB team. FL does not support them as they should. Orlando is a horrible market for sports because it's such a transit city. People move in and out of Orlando at a very high rate due to hospitality jobs moving them all over. It's not a good move. They barely support the Magic in the NBA
The city barely supports the magic because the team has been shit ever since Howard left. Like my dude did you just recently wake up from a coma? The magic haven’t had a good team in over a decade. And hate to break it to you but the rays moving to Orlando makes the most sense money wise for the MLB. It’s one of the biggest media markets without an MLB team. Bigger than Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cry about it
I hope for Tampa's sake it's not the same Hines that screwed over Salt Lake with a new office space/condo development that got the land for FREE, destroyed a historic Pantages theater, massive tax breaks and then said, "oh sorry, we can't build it right now, we don't have the money."
There's not enough interest in the club to warrant a new stadium. If TB can't draw fans with the talent they have then fold the team and stop wasting the taxpayer's money!
I would love for the MLB to come to Nashville, but with them about to start construction on the new Titans stadium, I cant see it happening unless its privately funded, plus the discussion of where it would be located. Dont think they would have two stadiums under construction in the same area
Nashville just spent a ton on a new AAA stadium not to long ago. Where is MLB stadium going to be? I the new team reimbursing the city for a now useless AAA stadium?
MLB officially wants any new city to kick in at least $300 mil towards a stadium, plus there's the relocation fee. Obtaining a franchise by relocation is going to cost the taxpayers half a billion, and in today's horrible economic climate the politicians aren't going to dare making such a proposal. Las Vegas was a special case because as a tourist city they were able to shift the cost off the taxpayers and onto the tourists. Nashville, San Antonio, SLC and Charlotte all have the size and prosperity to attend MLB, but whether they can cough up half a billion is dubious. Certainly not Charlotte, I know because I tried to interest the government in starting a committee to steal away the Rays and was told they would be very welcome to move to the region but there would be no government funding.
Plus it would add a winning team to the area as the Magic has been absolutely terrible the past decade & Orlando City of MLS has only recently become a decent club (as in making the playoffs regularly) after being terrible the first 5-6 years of their existence.
Rays are almost a shoe in for a playoff spot and are sitting once again at the ass end of MLB attendance at 27th. A bad location is no excuse to be this low year after year with a competitive ball club. They have to tarp off the upper deck for postseason games. Send them packing to another city already.
Tell me you know NOTHING about the Tampa Bay area without telling me you know NOTHING about the Tampa Bay area. The bad location IS a valid excuse. If they were actually in Tampa the attendance wouldn;t be an issue. only 600K people live within a 30 minute drive of St Pete. So to get 30K attendance you expect 5% of the population to show up? Does 5$ of Chicago show up to Cubs and White Sox games combined even? No, And you can't make the excuse that there is no enough seats because the White Sox are not selling out they are 23ed in attendance with 22.5K. So plenty of seats left unsold
@@harryballsak1123 I don’t know. You’re correct. But I’d like an explanation for drawing 27k in game 1 of the 2021 LDS with a lot of people in attendance rooting for the Redsox? I can understand the inconvenience of a regular season game but postseason? Unless people are tuning in for T.V broadcasts at a high rate why would relocating to Tampa guarantee a jump from 27th to at least average attendance if people aren’t even tuning in to live broadcasts? I don’t know the numbers so enlighten me.
@@chicagodude8888 Because only 600K live within a 30 minute drive to the Trop while over 1 mil live within a 30 minute rive of downtown Tampa. That's 67% increase in population. No one form Orlando is going to a Rays game in St Pete you might get some if there a stadium in Tampa. Same goes for Lakeland and Sarasota. Pinellas County were St Pete is is not growing at the same rate as Hillsborough County where Tampa is. Pinellas County is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west so no fans from there. And to get to the Trop from the south or east requires crossing a bridge. During rush hour to make a 7 PM game. Only from the north can you get to St Pete by road and north of Pinellas is more rural counties. I suggest looking at a map
@@chicagodude8888 Pinellas County in 2000 had 922K people in 2020 959.1K. Hillsborough went from 1.003 mil in 2000 to 1.46 mil in 2020. If you can't see why Tampa vs St Pete would make a HUGE difference then I do not know what to tell you
@@harryballsak1123 That tells me either the birth rate in Tampa skyrocketed or there’s expats from other cities/states all over the country moving to Florida taking their previous allegiances with them. How’s the tv viewership? That tells me more about the potential attendance spike.
@@scotttild this is why MLB should’ve allowed San Jose if Oakland can’t work. Back in 2013, San Jose had land money secured for a ballpark the politicians were behind it. MLB still blocked it. Vegas isn’t the answer
@@scotttild Expansion would be best for Vegas! MLB owners are not smart. San Jose is an hour away from San Francisco while Oakland is 15 minutes away from SF. Comparing San Jose to Expos situation is very different situations. Giants and A’s have shared Bay Area market for 55 years while Orioles had DC Market to themselves for 30 plus years.
2027 but Stu said that the Rays will leave before that. He also said that if there is no stadium deal by the end of this year, there is no deal to be made
If Pinellas County would just buy the CSX line, you could have commuter rail to St Pete. It would also help people getting to Clearwater and St Pete Beach. Use Spectrum Field for park and ride.
I tried to interest the government in coming up with stadium plans in order to make a pitch for the Rays in Charlotte or Matthews. There is zero government interest in spending one penny on the project, even to set up a committee or do a study. I have no doubt a stadium along the ring road in or near Matthews would do great, but you can forget any government funding.
@@zackbowring Why would I lie about this? When the negotiations between Sternberg and Tampa collapsed, I went to the mayor's offices of Charlotte and Matthews begging them to use this opportunity to prepare to make a pitch to the Rays by starting a committee. I was told in both places that the Rays would be welcome to move to the Charlotte area but the government wouldn't be getting involved. If you don't believe me, why don't YOU go to the mayors' offices and see whether you get a positive reaction?
@@zackbowring This was when the Commish ordered Sternberg to break off negotiations with Tampa because they never came up with any concrete financial offer. (Tampa was hypothesizing money but never said how the money would be raised.). I think that was 2018 or 2019, it shouldn't be hard to check the month because I acted as soon as Manfred gave the order. If anything, with the economy now in the tank because of inflation, it is even less likely today than 5 years ago that the government would contribute half a billion dollars to bring the Rays to the Charlotte region. But if you don't believe me, why don't YOU try to convince them now to start a committee preparing to make a sales pitch to Sternberg? I wish you luck! BTW, Manfred's official position on relocation is that the city must kick in a bare minimum of $300 mil towards the new stadium. Sternberg is demanding $500 mil because he wants a billion dollar stadium in Florida because of the weather. I personally don't think a dome is necessary in Charlotte, so it's just possible that $350 mil might meet the fifty fifty that Sternberg is seeking.
That's because seniors watch sports on TV but don't attend in person. You could build a stadium five minutes from a senior's house and he still wouldn't attend. The people who are making these grandiose proposals aren't seniors and don't understand the senior lifestyle.
Nashville needs to get it’s own team imo. The people in Vegas want their own team, not the dump of an Athletics team. I believe the same would go for Nashville.
@@fabiantaveras8458 Geez, no need to get mean about it. I just don’t think the Rays would be as accepted. Maybe if they immediately win a World Series…
Move Tropicana field to where derby lane is. Old dog track half abandoned in st Pete still off grandy bridge and near water. Tons of parking and can build a massive walking area for pregame and after game stuff. Plus people from Tampa can easily access it better than the current site of the trop.. It’s a no brainer
Are the Nashville renderings accurate? I thought they abandoned that site and were looking elsewhere at the TSU campus west of downtown at the beginning of July. Loved that original site next to titans and am not a fan of the new one.
The Titans' dome stadium is going on that parcel. The expansion team effort is tied into minority ownership and a salute to the Negro Leagues, so Tennessee State is where that group is focusing. That area is high crime and not easy to get into and out of if 25,000 people are trying to do so at the same time.
Every video this guy makes bashes the Rays what the heck man the Rays deserve more what the heck! That St. Pete area is a Real Estate Gold Mine! That area needs to be redeveloped ASAP build the stadium the housing concert hall museum bars etc.. and people will come form all over the country to live there Florida is the Magnet of AMERICA!! IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME!! Florida is the most booming economy in the country people are doing anything to move here!! GO RAYS HERE TO STAY !!!
Hi Depressed Ginger I was wondering if the Tampa Bay Rays were to move to Tampa or somewhere else What would happen to the Rays Tub in Center Field at the Tropics?
It makes more sense to have Montreal in the AL East. Either way, if there is no stadium deal in Tampa (not St Pete), a move to Montreal seems like the most logical choice
In the video, Tampa Bay and Oakland are compared in many ways, including having a “cheap owner”. Who cares about a “cheap owner”, as a fan, if your team is competitive year in and year out. Tropicana Field is not the best, but the team is a long way from the Oakland A’s. Tiger Stadium was not in a “great neighborhood” either, but everybody here in Detroit flocked to it, particularly when the team was competitive.
If the MLB doesn’t form a collective bargaining agreement and salary cap they’re going to fade away into nothing. Two different sets of rules, and they’re leaning in to the worse version of the two. It should be national league rules with a cap and a collective bargaining agreement. Teams can move but it won’t matter. The NFL and the NBA are competitive every year and they’re exciting to watch.
All I know is they will never draw in St petersburg . I worked at Tropicana Field in 2011,2012 and 2013. There best teams they ever had. Attendance was mediocre at best. Please don't waste taxpayers money on this stadium. Please!
Are the Rays still considering moving to or sharing their franchise with Montreal? Is Montreal still considered a possible site for any MLB expansion or relocation?
Yes that is a preferred location for the owner, although the public didn't support the previous team there despite having winning teams. But you can forget Montreal kicking in half a billion dollars, it's never going to happen.
I'm a Florida native, grew up in the Tampa Bay Area, BUT I was already 15 when the Rays finally came around and just haven't ever really been into them. Living in Texas now, I rarely get the opportunity to watch them. I'd hate to see them leave my hometown, but my hometown has really screwed the pooch as far as supporting them. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they left town, but that said, as someone that lived in the Nashville area for over a decade, the city itself has absolutely no appetite for a 4th professional sports team. The city and/or state won't be kicking in money for a stadium and the riverfront location downtown isn't going to happen. The 76 owners in the Nashville ownership group are looking to put a stadium in a terrible part of town that no one from the suburbs are going to travel to for night games. They claim to have the private financing to build a stadium and buy a team, but I just don't see it. Even if they did pull all of the money together, is MLB really going to approve an ownership group with so many members? The problem with relocation right now and really even expansion, is that there aren't many cities that are willing to use public money to build a stadium and there aren't an overabundance of billionaires that are looking to buy an MLB franchise. Knowing Stu Sternberg based on the things he's said over the years, I don't see him selling the team regardless, it's a cash cow and he's a lifelong baseball fan. His teams are successful, even if he IS cheap. Maybe MLB will allow him to move to Brooklyn, hell, that's where he's from.
I don't think Salt Lake City or Portland would be great options. Neither would have the attendance. I also don't think Vegas will make attendance numbers either as a relocation team. It would be a completely different story if Vegas gets an expansion team. If the A's do leave, I see Oakland having a higher probability to getting a relocation team over SLC and POR.
@@saintbrownthetrojanWhy wouldn't Oakland work? There's tons of fans and they'd for sure have a high attendance if they had competent owners and given them a good stadium. They aren't going to boycot. Residents of Vegas have said that they wouldn't show out unless they get an expansion team. They don't want a terrible A's team and ownership
@@joshdrenth4526 There are 3 major problems with this: 1: California is shrinking. Not much reason to expand there unless you’re a startup league, and the MLB is not that. 2: Why has Quebec City not had a hockey team for decades? Simple: owners hate nostalgia. They always want the new, exciting cities, not cities like Montreal who’s attendance has sucked for the last few years they were there. 3: Oakland is not interested in a sports team, as they are redeveloping the Howard Termial for the public. No more stadiums will ever be built there, which is sad because Oakland had good support previously.
@@saintbrownthetrojan CA is not shrinking and needs to keep the A's. While I'm not an A's fan, I know tons who are and would not support them if they leave. They have the attendance numbers to beat out a lot of teams in the league but they don't show up because of a trash stadium and owners. Quebec doesn't need a hockey team. They don't have a fanbaase that's as strong as Toronto and Vancouver. Oakland has always been interested in having sports teams. Greedy owners are to blame though. The owners of the Warriors went across the bay because of money and the A's owners want to move because they want to grow Vegas' sports teams. Oakland has a lot higher of a TV market and I can guarantee you they would have a higher attendance in Oakland than Vegas if each were to have a brand new stadium and not so cheap owners
@@joshdrenth4526 If only Oakland was willing to build a new stadium. The Oakland Coliseum sucks. I get the Quebec City hockey counterclaim, but California is shrinking by about -100,000 residents per year (comparing in-migrants to out-migrants), which caused California to lose a political vote. Besides, does another Bay Area team really look attractive right now?
If the Rays dont have the $$$$money to finance their own stadium they better move as Florida taxpayer is not going to give them the money… Ray’s C-YA!!!!
They've spent five years trying to come up with public funding for a new stadium and have never managed to come up with concrete plans to raise more than ten percent of the cost. Any politician who committed to raising $400 or $500 million of public money would lose his job.
Depressed Ginger when MLB expands do you think they will stagger the Teams coming in like NHL did have 1 team come say 2027 then another 2029 something like that . Then talk after both teams are awarded then the idea of realignment and what that could look like the run never ends . Rob hinted maybe going back to 4 Divisions when the league expands that where the idea of Regional Realignment comes in to play . It's a wait and see what tye MLB going to look like bye 2030
A move to Tampa won't help them. Maybe 5000 more fans a game... still crap. Rays fans acting like Tropicana is in a forgein country... it's still the Tampa area. Yankees and Dodgers fan travel to see their teams play... have they seen the Bronx? Even with a good team... Rays fans are not gonna fully sell out a new stadium in Tampa. It will be Florida Marlins new stadium all over with low attendance. Rays fans are delusional... a new stadium is over a billion dollars... maybe make Rays fans sell out season tickets prior to see if they really are going to support a new stadium... you will then hear crickets from them. Even they know it. Even half of them on these comments don't even go to a single game every season.
@@ericB3444It's guys like Judge making $40 mil plus who are killing baseball. Except for Tampa all the other small market teams come in last place in their division every season.
MLB is dying lol? Yeah right. UAE 🇦🇪 just brought the Baaeball United to that region in a way to grow baseball in Middle East. Former MLB players are behind it too.
Contraction of the Rays and A's is the best solution. I remember less than 20 years ago, MLB was proposing contracting the Twins and A's. Regional Sports TV contracts and Twins new stadium saved the day on that proposal. No expansion for too small country-cool Nashville and small, quiet, not much going on Salt Lake City. Might as well add Jacksonville, FL, not Orlando to the mix of expansion, hahahah. Last thing Orlando needs is another shopping mall, especially one near a MLB stadium that will have low attendance because most of the population have their favorite team from where they previously lived. MLB baseball does not work in Florida. Marlins play in the most densely populated area in Florida and no one attends the games. People in Florida like to chill under the a/c, beaches, shop and eat and be rude to their fellow man, not attend an MLB game, even under a roof with a/c.
Retirees don't attend games live, and they make up a very disproportionate segment of the Florida population. That is the real reason attendance for the two Florida teams is so bad. As the Marlins found out, building a new stadium isn't the answer.
I just want a team in Nashville. I truly dont care how we get it at this point. I want to watch MLB games and not have to spend almost 8 hours on the road minimum to watch a game. I get to watch a lot of MILB games, but I want to watch actual Major League Baseball.
Your presumed next mayor is 100% against publicly-financed stadiums and voted against the Titans' dome stadium. He's not going to offer one cent of public financing to a Rays relocation, a Brewers relocation, an Orioles relocation, or an expansion team. To get an MLB team in Nashville, it will have to be 100% privately financed.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TpYTyAaTRts/mqdefault.jpg)
Either move the Rays to Tampa proper or let them out of the area entirely. Half of the Trop's problem is the location. I'd hate to see a new stadium in St. Pete.
True, but the other half of the problem is that retirees make up a disproportionate segment of Tampa's population and seniors don't attend live sports events, they only watch on TV.
@@GeraldM_inNC Tampa hasn't been a retirement community in almost 3 decades. Things have changed drastically. Lightning home games are always packed within the arena and in the entertainment district around it. If the Rays move next door between Channelside and Ybor, it'll give them the best chance in the area.
@@91_C4_FL Perhaps what I've read is outdated.
As a ray fan, I hate to hear this, but I hope they go to Orlando instead of Nashville if they can’t get anything done in Tampa
In Orlando they would just become the Disney Kangaroo’s. You want that ?
@@ericB3444 Why Kangaroos?
@@saintbrownthetrojan because I don’t think Disney currently has famous kangaroo. There may be a need there to make a baseball kangaroo like a tall drink of water like a degrom kangaroo.
@@ericB3444 That’s… interesting.
@@ericB3444cry harder Orlando is one of the biggest media markets without an MLB team. If the Rays can’t secure a deal with the city of Tampa then Orlando is the move.
I'm not even a hardcore Rays fan but I'd be sad if they relocated. They've completely outclassed the Yankees and Red Sox this year on the field on an absolute shoestring budget by comparison, and this isn't the first time that's happened. It's time for the cheapskate owner to finally pony up some real cash for a stadium that the fans deserve in Tampa
💯
I'm a Yankees fan who likes in St Pete and contrary to popular belief, the Rays do have fans. They just have the worst stadium and it's inconvenient to get to.
Then the fans BETTER get their @$$e$ off the couch and go to the Trop
Otherwise, enjoy watching the Marlins
With what money?
@@donaldpaluga Florida tends older. Tampa is 30-40 from trop and towns north of Tampa are more. Old people will definitely drive there
The NHL's Lightning played at the Trop when it was called the Thunderdome. When they moved to Amalie Arena near downtown Tampa, that's when their popularity really took off. The team got really good, won a few Cups, and is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
While attracting an MLB team may have been one of the original goals of building the place, it was also designed to be multipurpose to some degree.
Fast forward to today. I agree that putting a new ballpark in St. Pete again would not be good in the long run; reality is that the majority of people there live on the Tampa side of the area, and I've heard getting across the bay on the bridges closest to the Trop is a nightmare.
Supposedly, there's a deal on the table in which the Rays would heavily invest in St. Pete -- which I've heard has become really nice -- and would also be able to have more say so in the area immediately around any new ballpark that might be built. Last I heard, there would be a ballpark built right next to the Trop. Will it happen? I don't know.
The Rays owner gave a fairly firm deadline of after the 2023 MLB season (this season as I write this) for an agreement to be in place. Earlier this year, he said he'd be willing to work with both Tampa and St. Pete, maybe along with some suburbs, but that if a deal wasn't done by the end of 2023, then "there is essentially no deal to be had" (approximate quote from the owner).
The team's lease at the Trop is up at the end of the 2027 season, but as we know, it takes time to build the park, shore up some infrastructure, etc.
If the end of 2023 fairly firm deadline isn't met, then I see the team leaving Florida, likely to Nashville or Charlotte.
The problem is not as much the Rays needing to fund the stadium themselves, as someone else said, more that there is no area in Tampa big enough to complete something like this. That includes the Ybor plot of land the team previously bought, which I don't even know if they still control. Much of Tampa has already been bought up, and there just aren't enough plots of land left to make it a feasible move for them to go to the area, even though the team would draw much more. The Bolts had the ability to do so because the footprint of Amalie is significantly smaller and was easily able to be developed into a lively place to be. The existing plot of land in St. Pete unfortunately is the only place for them to be able to do what they want to do with building a new stadium and redevelopment area
This crap has been dragging out since 2008. He is running the lease out. He wants outta here!! He isn't going to sell the team until he moves from here. Then he will sell them and make big money.
@@alexmurphy8837 Granted, I've not been to Tampa in about 25 years, so things are likely very different now. I do know that the area has grown, though.
Is there really no place to build a new ballpark in Tampa or St. Pete (except for putting one in a parking lot next door to the Trop), keeping in mind that most of the population lives on the Tampa side of the bay? Even a suburb would be better than the team leaving Florida. Moving them to Orlando doesn't make sense to me.
I don't understand why the Ybor City proposal couldn't have worked. Perhaps you can enlighten me. When that deal fell through, I thought that it wasn't a matter of if, but when, the Rays would leave Florida entirely. Sadly, I still feel that way. If they build a new ballpark in St. Pete, they're doing nothing to resolve the main complaint that I've been hearing for years from Rays fans: St. Pete is too far away. That may be true for certain segments of the population, especially the elderly, but that by itself doesn't seem to be a massive impediment to a deal being reached.
Regarding how long it takes to get over the bridges from Tampa to St. Pete, I've heard it can take an hour or more. That's a long time, but I've heard of worse. Honestly, if people can make a *round trip* from their homes to the ballpark and back again in no more than about 2.5 hours or often a little less, that would seem to be acceptable. If it takes 3 hours *round trip*, I can see where that might be tiresome for STH or people who attend games more than about 2x/season. Even attending a single game would be tiresome if you're spending more time in your car than you do at the game. At that point, it might be time to cut bait.
@@TimSmith-uc4pk If that's the case, Sternberg is almost as bad as Fisher in Oakland. The Rays aren't a dumpster fire of a team like the A's are, so I'll give Sternberg that.
Another difference between Tampa Bay and Oakland/Vegas is that to my knowledge, Manfred isn't kissing Sternberg's ass like he is Fisher's.
Why waive the relocation fee for the A's but not the Rays? Why did Manfred flat out lie about some things pertaining to the A's deal while not making promises or talking to Sternberg or anyone else in the Rays organization? Even the fans could be addressed informally, but I doubt that happens.
If Sternberg's as bad as Fisher in such ways, then he deserves to be run out of town on a rail.
For whatever reasons, while spring training is and always has been very popular in Florida, having ML teams based there to play a 162 game season + playoffs hasn't worked there. If the Marlins weren't already in and at least partially paying for a relatively new ballpark, I think they would've left Miami and Florida years ago. Barring a miracle, I expect the Rays to move to another city in another state to begin the 2028 season. MLB would be insane to grant a third MLB team to Florida, whether in Orlando or elsewhere. I suppose there's a *very* small chance that the Rays move to Orlando, but I don't know if I'd even put that over 5%.
@@moose2021 from speaking with people I know and those in and around the area, Ybor was destined to fail because the plot of land itself was too small, but most importantly, imo, the team personally jacked up the price tag of the stadium to make it near impossible for local tax payers and city/county governments to want to support. They said it would cost $892 million, the majority of which I would have to assume public taxpayers would take the brunt of knowing Stu won't cough up funds like that.
There are certainly other ways to get to the Trop aside from the main thoroughfare. Taking 275 on the otherside to go through is another option, but the Trop does itself no favors with not a lot of exits to get off the highway and not a lot of exits out of the stadium itself after the game. It's a gridlocked area, but it's in a good spot considering the growth of downtown st pete literally right next to it.
I agree St. Pete is not best for the growth of the fanbase, but considering how stupid the city was back in 1990 trying to attract a team to the area, only for it to be used as a lure to get their own cities to provide public funds for new stadium development, and the fact that the Yankees got in good with Tampa a few years earlier and took up what is now a fantastic spot right off Dale Mabry next to RayJay, the Trop location is literally the only place to rebuild.
If they move to Orlando they might as well rebrand as the Florida Rays.
I think they certainly would
I like that better than being called The Dreamers. Sorry that name is stupid & sounds like something out of a terrible Disney movie
If they don't stay in the Tampa area, they should come to Orlando, but keep the Rays name. They could call the stadium "Dreamers Park". Imagine spring training being played at ESPN wide world of sports complex.
There a few locations in that the Rays can move and build a stadium with retractable roofs 45,000 capacity within the area. 1 Tampa Bay Downs 2 AL Lopez Park 3 Ybor City if there is more land. 4 New Tampa, if those are not feasible then move to Orlando or Jacksonville.
All we are hearing locally from both side is that the stadium lease negotiations in St Pete are going well. Huge upside for the Rays since their plan was chosen for the redevelopment of the Trop site. Also Pinellas county has the funding mechanism already in place and needs to be extended. Tampa has already said if the Rays come there, they have to pay for the stadium (Tampa already paying for RayJay, Amelie and Steinbrenner and don’t have the money). The market is around 4 million people and the Rays have very good TV ratings.
I am an ex Rays season ticket holder who lives in Hillsborough County. I agree with your post. The problem as I see it is location, location,location. Building a new stadium of gold in the same location is a fools errand. Fans will simply not fight the traffic to go to the Trop location. Ownership wants the taxpayers to build the Rays a new playpen. I say no. MLB and the Rays can well afford to build their own stadium so stop crying poormouth. If that means the Rays will relocate so be it. I, for one, am tired of corporate welfare.
BAD idea to keep then in St Pete. If the goal is to constantly get less than 20K in the stands then sure
@@steveglasser4147 "taxpayer" money for theses project usually comes for the sale of 30 year bonds meaning they wouldn;t be paid off until either you are no longer living in the area or no longer living. Also "taxpayer" money can come from tourist taxes which does not affect you either. No one is cancelling their vacation because their hotel room has an extra 50 cents per night tax on it
Move them to Omaha.
@@davidlafleche1142 I hope that is sarcasm
The Rays needs to build a stadium IN TAMPA. Tropicana Fields flaws is not only the design, its the location of the site. If the Rays had in Tampa, they can bring in a crowd. Prove me wrong.
I've stated this in a previous Depressed Ginger video: The Rays are the ONLY team in the TB area, but the Athletics are the "other" team in the SF Bay Area.
I have a waterfull idea. If the Rays manage to stay in their current city, they should go back to a similar version of their original name as the Tampa Bay Sting Rays. The new name would make a big splash with the fans.
I'm fairly stuck on this great idea and if you don't agree with me, well...clearly you're a raycist.
T
Maybe the MLB should make all the owners pitch in some of their money all stadium renovations or constructions to reduce the amount of public funds needed for stadium renovations or constructions and reduces the chance of relocating any MLB team. In fact all major sports leagues should do this
Build the stadium in Tampa not St. Pete
There is no room anymore.
I love that rendering of the Ybor city inlet dome complex. I think the Ray's would do a lot better in attendance on that side of the bay. That's the same area kind of as the Lightning and Buccaneers who seem to do alright. Build that one, I might move to Tampa.
I think there's a 99% chance the Rays stay in Florida, though staying in St. Pete's is nuts - Tampa residents don't want to make the drive there. I believe the Rays will move to either Tampa or Orlando because the owners want the estimated $2B expansion fee from both Nashville and likely Salt Lake City and there's no chance Austin or San Antonio get a team (Astros and Rangers will deep six any attempt to do so). Portland or Charlotte? I highly doubt it. Montreal? Nope.
MLB waived the relication fee for the A's because MLB wants a team in LV
Judging from your content lately everyone might be moving. Oakland, Tampa, Milwaukee, Toronto, Baltimore, Arizona, KC...😂
It's called clickbait
With the star players demanding $40 mil a year now the small market teams aren't financially viable. I believe 4 small market teams should merge into two and split their schedules.
The Tampa Bay Area doesn’t have a lot of choice stadium sites in the immediate area around Tampa/ St. Pete. The Rays might have little choice in the matter.
Site was never really the issue, it's all about the money.
The only places the Rays would "relocated" to are Tampa or possibly Orlando
I think Orlando would be a great move for the rays. But I don’t know how I feel about the dreamers name.
I agree. The Cleveland Browns are the NFL's "Dream Team." They can never get to the Super Bowl, they can only "dream" about it.
If Tampa Bay fails, in 2027 it’s Montreal, Quebec’s turn for Baseball ⚾️ 🇨🇦
The Toronto support and lack of baseball stadium is too great to overlook, unfortunately.
@@saintbrownthetrojanit’s actually misleading though, while many Canadians are blue jays fans, most Montrealers would rather support their own team than watch a team from Toronto. But I’m still confident if Washington tried 3 times, Montreal can get it right the second.
@@scotttildif there is no stadium deal in Tampa (not St Pete), moving to Montreal seems like the most logical choice
They had their turn and didn't support the team. Really bad idea.
@@GeraldM_inNC the Expos failing in Montreal had more to do with Selig and Loria, and less to do with the fans or the city itself. Similar to what Manfred and Fisher are doing to the A's
The Rays are moving from St. Pete to Tampa. No worries.
Move them to NM and become the Breaking Bad Badger’s.
There’s a minor league team there called the Albuquerque Isotopes (apparently a Simpsons reference). Should we poll for a rebrand?
The Skinny Petes
Except everyone in Albuquerque broke.
No way that city can support a professional sports team.
@@YaowBucketHEAD MINOR league team
I’m a rays fan, I live in Tampa, but I have lived in Kissimmee/Orlando for many years…. And I must admit the team will have much better attendance in Orlando. There’s a HHUUUGE hispanic community there that LOVES baseball, and a hide inflow of tourist from other cities and countries that would love to attend a game or 2
ORLANDO
The Rays are the best chance for Montreal to get a team, but that's still third place. If they relocate, it's: 1. Orlando, 2. Nashville, 3. Montreal
They should move to the east side Tampa on I 4 to catch the Orlando population as well.
That's what I've been screaming for years. If not on the State Fairgrounds area, at least somewhere near the I-4 and I-75 area exchanges to get people from north, south, east and west.
Bro the Nashville notes is a great name
I like that name better than the Stars
@@overbanked or the catfish
@@NxtGen0asis21I like that name. Notes. They have the Nashville Sounds too
They need to bring the rays to Orlando
You meant Nashville and Oakland For the expansion team
The city of Oakland in not interested in sports teams right now, unfortunately.
Oaklands stadium proposal is close but dumb owner walked out on negotiations. Oakland is definitely in there
@@deanwille8130 They haven't even started building it yet. Maybe in a few years, but otherwise not right now.
Move them to Orlando.
Rays moving to Montreal and will become the expos
Just move to Montreal and be done with it. They would fit in great there. Make it a real rivalry with Toronto.
If the Rays move I don’t think the people in the area would care too much.
Moving to tenesee (nashville or memphis) or raleigh north carolina i think would be good. theres already nashville predators, memphis grizzlies, carolina hurricanes and panthers.
I would love to see a stadium in one of the booming towns east of Raleigh, such as Zebulon. A downtown stadium wouldn't make any sense.
Well they do have their aaa team in Durham north carolina.
@@ToMaToEsGrOw The Charlotte AAA team draws very well.
A butt hurt commenter jumped all over my statement about this subject on another channel but here it goes. A couple of things here: The Dreamers? What kind of name is that? No way LOL.. The Rays should only choose to stay in FL if they get what they want in Tampa. Otherwise they should move to Nashville. Nashville is primed for a MLB team. FL does not support them as they should. Orlando is a horrible market for sports because it's such a transit city. People move in and out of Orlando at a very high rate due to hospitality jobs moving them all over. It's not a good move. They barely support the Magic in the NBA
The city barely supports the magic because the team has been shit ever since Howard left. Like my dude did you just recently wake up from a coma? The magic haven’t had a good team in over a decade. And hate to break it to you but the rays moving to Orlando makes the most sense money wise for the MLB. It’s one of the biggest media markets without an MLB team. Bigger than Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cry about it
@@scotttild I would counter with the fact that Florida has never supported baseball. That’s proof. Florida does support spring training though.
Na they're coming to Orlando if they leave Tampa especially with the tourists tax they'll get the funding needed
@@noelramirez1551 big fail
Nashville is clearly the place.
I hope the Rays don’t move! I’ve been to Tropicana field and it’s one of the worst stadiums! Fingers crossed they get a new stadium in Tampa bay!
I hope for Tampa's sake it's not the same Hines that screwed over Salt Lake with a new office space/condo development that got the land for FREE, destroyed a historic Pantages theater, massive tax breaks and then said, "oh sorry, we can't build it right now, we don't have the money."
If they're moving out of St. Petersburg but staying in the Tampa Bay Area, or moving into the suburbs? I'll be fine with that.
There's not enough interest in the club to warrant a new stadium. If TB can't draw fans with the talent they have then fold the team and stop wasting the taxpayer's money!
13:44 Tampa's Space Beetle 🛸🪲
The Rays are not moving. They'll get the stadium situation figures out.
Theres no chance the Brewers move.
I would love for the MLB to come to Nashville, but with them about to start construction on the new Titans stadium, I cant see it happening unless its privately funded, plus the discussion of where it would be located. Dont think they would have two stadiums under construction in the same area
Nashville just spent a ton on a new AAA stadium not to long ago. Where is MLB stadium going to be? I the new team reimbursing the city for a now useless AAA stadium?
@harryballsak1123 very true about First Horizon Park, and the Sounds draw very well, so I can't see them getting rid of them either
They need to leave St. Petersburg they can’t even fill out a stadium for a playoff game
MLB officially wants any new city to kick in at least $300 mil towards a stadium, plus there's the relocation fee. Obtaining a franchise by relocation is going to cost the taxpayers half a billion, and in today's horrible economic climate the politicians aren't going to dare making such a proposal. Las Vegas was a special case because as a tourist city they were able to shift the cost off the taxpayers and onto the tourists. Nashville, San Antonio, SLC and Charlotte all have the size and prosperity to attend MLB, but whether they can cough up half a billion is dubious. Certainly not Charlotte, I know because I tried to interest the government in starting a committee to steal away the Rays and was told they would be very welcome to move to the region but there would be no government funding.
Orlando would have way more market than Tampa and Miami
I hope the Rays move to Orlando.
The Dreamers will be an awesome
home for an MLB team. The stadium
that would be built in Orlando will be
incredible!
Plus it would add a winning team to the area as the Magic has been absolutely terrible the past decade & Orlando City of MLS has only recently become a decent club (as in making the playoffs regularly) after being terrible the first 5-6 years of their existence.
Rays are almost a shoe in for a playoff spot and are sitting once again at the ass end of MLB attendance at 27th. A bad location is no excuse to be this low year after year with a competitive ball club. They have to tarp off the upper deck for postseason games. Send them packing to another city already.
Tell me you know NOTHING about the Tampa Bay area without telling me you know NOTHING about the Tampa Bay area. The bad location IS a valid excuse. If they were actually in Tampa the attendance wouldn;t be an issue. only 600K people live within a 30 minute drive of St Pete. So to get 30K attendance you expect 5% of the population to show up? Does 5$ of Chicago show up to Cubs and White Sox games combined even? No, And you can't make the excuse that there is no enough seats because the White Sox are not selling out they are 23ed in attendance with 22.5K. So plenty of seats left unsold
@@harryballsak1123 I don’t know. You’re correct. But I’d like an explanation for drawing 27k in game 1 of the 2021 LDS with a lot of people in attendance rooting for the Redsox? I can understand the inconvenience of a regular season game but postseason?
Unless people are tuning in for T.V broadcasts at a high rate why would relocating to Tampa guarantee a jump from 27th to at least average attendance if people aren’t even tuning in to live broadcasts? I don’t know the numbers so enlighten me.
@@chicagodude8888 Because only 600K live within a 30 minute drive to the Trop while over 1 mil live within a 30 minute rive of downtown Tampa. That's 67% increase in population. No one form Orlando is going to a Rays game in St Pete you might get some if there a stadium in Tampa. Same goes for Lakeland and Sarasota. Pinellas County were St Pete is is not growing at the same rate as Hillsborough County where Tampa is. Pinellas County is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west so no fans from there. And to get to the Trop from the south or east requires crossing a bridge. During rush hour to make a 7 PM game. Only from the north can you get to St Pete by road and north of Pinellas is more rural counties. I suggest looking at a map
@@chicagodude8888 Pinellas County in 2000 had 922K people in 2020 959.1K. Hillsborough went from 1.003 mil in 2000 to 1.46 mil in 2020. If you can't see why Tampa vs St Pete would make a HUGE difference then I do not know what to tell you
@@harryballsak1123 That tells me either the birth rate in Tampa skyrocketed or there’s expats from other cities/states all over the country moving to Florida taking their previous allegiances with them.
How’s the tv viewership? That tells me more about the potential attendance spike.
Traffic nightmare to get to St.Pete
I still don't think the NBA is going to Vegas. My guess is Seattle and Mexico
The Rays should stay in the Tampa Bay Area as the Tampa Bay Rays or The Tampa Bay Devil Rays period!
Bring back the exposes please!!!
A’s should stay in Oakland and Rays should stay in Tampa Bay/ St Pete! Both with beautiful stadiums!
@@scotttild With a new owner, Howard Terminal can get done! Dumb owner is A’s problem
@@scotttild this is why MLB should’ve allowed San Jose if Oakland can’t work. Back in 2013, San Jose had land money secured for a ballpark the politicians were behind it. MLB still blocked it. Vegas isn’t the answer
@@scotttild Expansion would be best for Vegas! MLB owners are not smart. San Jose is an hour away from San Francisco while Oakland is 15 minutes away from SF. Comparing San Jose to Expos situation is very different situations. Giants and A’s have shared Bay Area market for 55 years while Orioles had DC Market to themselves for 30 plus years.
When does the lease end for the current Rays stadium?
2027
2027 but Stu said that the Rays will leave before that. He also said that if there is no stadium deal by the end of this year, there is no deal to be made
If Pinellas County would just buy the CSX line, you could have commuter rail to St Pete. It would also help people getting to Clearwater and St Pete Beach. Use Spectrum Field for park and ride.
Or just have the team in TAMPA where they belong
Marlins and rays need to move
Build a new stadium next to a Bright Rail station......
Where’s the parking for these renderings?
I hope they stay in Tampa. But I wish a group in Charlotte would come up with a good proposal for a stadium.
I tried to interest the government in coming up with stadium plans in order to make a pitch for the Rays in Charlotte or Matthews. There is zero government interest in spending one penny on the project, even to set up a committee or do a study. I have no doubt a stadium along the ring road in or near Matthews would do great, but you can forget any government funding.
@@GeraldM_inNC Not sure if I believe you, but okay.
@@zackbowring Why would I lie about this? When the negotiations between Sternberg and Tampa collapsed, I went to the mayor's offices of Charlotte and Matthews begging them to use this opportunity to prepare to make a pitch to the Rays by starting a committee. I was told in both places that the Rays would be welcome to move to the Charlotte area but the government wouldn't be getting involved. If you don't believe me, why don't YOU go to the mayors' offices and see whether you get a positive reaction?
@@GeraldM_inNC And how long ago did you do this exactly? 🤔
@@zackbowring This was when the Commish ordered Sternberg to break off negotiations with Tampa because they never came up with any concrete financial offer. (Tampa was hypothesizing money but never said how the money would be raised.). I think that was 2018 or 2019, it shouldn't be hard to check the month because I acted as soon as Manfred gave the order. If anything, with the economy now in the tank because of inflation, it is even less likely today than 5 years ago that the government would contribute half a billion dollars to bring the Rays to the Charlotte region. But if you don't believe me, why don't YOU try to convince them now to start a committee preparing to make a sales pitch to Sternberg? I wish you luck! BTW, Manfred's official position on relocation is that the city must kick in a bare minimum of $300 mil towards the new stadium. Sternberg is demanding $500 mil because he wants a billion dollar stadium in Florida because of the weather. I personally don't think a dome is necessary in Charlotte, so it's just possible that $350 mil might meet the fifty fifty that Sternberg is seeking.
Judge Tampa interest on tv market numbers..
Yea that's the thing they do well in tv ratings but nobody wants to drive over the bridge and get into all that traffic to go see them
That's because seniors watch sports on TV but don't attend in person. You could build a stadium five minutes from a senior's house and he still wouldn't attend. The people who are making these grandiose proposals aren't seniors and don't understand the senior lifestyle.
Not one MLB move has had a relocation fee.
Nashville needs to get it’s own team imo. The people in Vegas want their own team, not the dump of an Athletics team. I believe the same would go for Nashville.
@@scotttild Why? Because they have established success and a potential expansion team wouldn't?
@@saintbrownthetrojananyone with IQ above room temperature would gladly take the rays over an expansion team lol
@@fabiantaveras8458 Geez, no need to get mean about it. I just don’t think the Rays would be as accepted. Maybe if they immediately win a World Series…
Sternberg saw what happened in Miami and ain't putting a DIME towards a new stadium.
I think he's been willing to go fifty fifty but Tampa will never come up with more than 10 percent.
just relocate to the gorgeous waterfront, along the River Walk, near where the hockey team plays. Regret being cheap in the first place and fix it.
Any open air stadium concept is a waste of time. Florida summer is unbearable.
The fans wants the team in the Tampa Bay Area 😂... St. Pete is Tampa Bay literally.
Move Tropicana field to where derby lane is. Old dog track half abandoned in st Pete still off grandy bridge and near water. Tons of parking and can build a massive walking area for pregame and after game stuff. Plus people from Tampa can easily access it better than the current site of the trop.. It’s a no brainer
That’s a logistical nightmare. Only 2 ways into that area.
Are the Nashville renderings accurate? I thought they abandoned that site and were looking elsewhere at the TSU campus west of downtown at the beginning of July. Loved that original site next to titans and am not a fan of the new one.
The Titans' dome stadium is going on that parcel. The expansion team effort is tied into minority ownership and a salute to the Negro Leagues, so Tennessee State is where that group is focusing. That area is high crime and not easy to get into and out of if 25,000 people are trying to do so at the same time.
0:37 Don't forget the Angels might dip as well. Arte is cheap, and if he finds a city to gift him a shiny new stadium he might not hesitate to move.
Ybor is a distraction. The only one that makes sense is in Brandon. It literally brings fans from the entire central Florida. It’s a no brainer.
Every video this guy makes bashes the Rays what the heck man the Rays deserve more what the heck! That St. Pete area is a Real Estate Gold Mine! That area needs to be redeveloped ASAP build the stadium the housing concert hall museum bars etc.. and people will come form all over the country to live there Florida is the Magnet of AMERICA!! IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME!! Florida is the most booming economy in the country people are doing anything to move here!! GO RAYS HERE TO STAY !!!
Hi Depressed Ginger I was wondering if the Tampa Bay Rays were to move to Tampa or somewhere else What would happen to the Rays Tub in Center Field at the Tropics?
Huh?
Even win Tampa was an amazing team they didn't reach the 2,000,000 visitors minimum the MLB needs it's teams to make.
One of these troubled MLB teams will be in Salt Lake City soon. Book it
They can just slide right on over to Orlando and no one will notice/care.
Move them to Orlando. That city is booming right now. Put the stadium in a a suburban area like the Braves did.
Best option is Ybor city. Just buy out the ghetto neighborhoods and there’s plenty of land and infrastructure.
Send Tampa to Montreal and then switch the Nationals to AL East and give the NL East the Expos back
It makes more sense to have Montreal in the AL East. Either way, if there is no stadium deal in Tampa (not St Pete), a move to Montreal seems like the most logical choice
@@herotomillions4095 how does it make no sense? They were there for decades....it obviously worked.
@@charleskuss8428 I never said it makes no sense. I said it makes more sense to keep the Rays in the AL East after they move to Montreal
In the video, Tampa Bay and Oakland are compared in many ways, including having a “cheap owner”. Who cares about a “cheap owner”, as a fan, if your team is competitive year in and year out.
Tropicana Field is not the best, but the team is a long way from the Oakland A’s.
Tiger Stadium was not in a “great neighborhood” either, but everybody here in Detroit flocked to it, particularly when the team was competitive.
If the MLB doesn’t form a collective bargaining agreement and salary cap they’re going to fade away into nothing. Two different sets of rules, and they’re leaning in to the worse version of the two. It should be national league rules with a cap and a collective bargaining agreement. Teams can move but it won’t matter. The NFL and the NBA are competitive every year and they’re exciting to watch.
A hard cap instead of whatever they do now! Make it similar to the NFL with a set amount and if a team goes over, then they pay a luxury tax
The union has said it would never agree to any form of salary cap, even if it were mirrored by a minimum payroll rule.
All I know is they will never draw in St petersburg . I worked at Tropicana Field in 2011,2012 and 2013. There best teams they ever had. Attendance was mediocre at best. Please don't waste taxpayers money on this stadium. Please!
Buffalo should get a MLB team
Montreal needs an MLB team again
I wouldn’t mind that, they should add team though, maybe 4 new teams for Canada.
You had your chance; too bad.
Move the Rays to Nashville, move the Marlins to Orlando and go back to the name, Florida Marlins.
Are the Rays still considering moving to or sharing their franchise with Montreal? Is Montreal still considered a possible site for any MLB expansion or relocation?
Hell no. That was a ridiculous plan and there was no chance in it succeeding.
The sister city plan was turned down by MLB themselves. Montreal has better luck with an expansion team.
Why would they do that? It's doesn't makes sense.
Yes that is a preferred location for the owner, although the public didn't support the previous team there despite having winning teams. But you can forget Montreal kicking in half a billion dollars, it's never going to happen.
I'm a Florida native, grew up in the Tampa Bay Area, BUT I was already 15 when the Rays finally came around and just haven't ever really been into them. Living in Texas now, I rarely get the opportunity to watch them. I'd hate to see them leave my hometown, but my hometown has really screwed the pooch as far as supporting them. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they left town, but that said, as someone that lived in the Nashville area for over a decade, the city itself has absolutely no appetite for a 4th professional sports team. The city and/or state won't be kicking in money for a stadium and the riverfront location downtown isn't going to happen.
The 76 owners in the Nashville ownership group are looking to put a stadium in a terrible part of town that no one from the suburbs are going to travel to for night games. They claim to have the private financing to build a stadium and buy a team, but I just don't see it. Even if they did pull all of the money together, is MLB really going to approve an ownership group with so many members?
The problem with relocation right now and really even expansion, is that there aren't many cities that are willing to use public money to build a stadium and there aren't an overabundance of billionaires that are looking to buy an MLB franchise.
Knowing Stu Sternberg based on the things he's said over the years, I don't see him selling the team regardless, it's a cash cow and he's a lifelong baseball fan. His teams are successful, even if he IS cheap. Maybe MLB will allow him to move to Brooklyn, hell, that's where he's from.
I don't think Salt Lake City or Portland would be great options. Neither would have the attendance. I also don't think Vegas will make attendance numbers either as a relocation team. It would be a completely different story if Vegas gets an expansion team. If the A's do leave, I see Oakland having a higher probability to getting a relocation team over SLC and POR.
SLC would not be any good. Portland, maybe, but that’s a tough sell. Oakland, though, no. Absolutely not. Vegas could get good attendance though.
@@saintbrownthetrojanWhy wouldn't Oakland work? There's tons of fans and they'd for sure have a high attendance if they had competent owners and given them a good stadium. They aren't going to boycot. Residents of Vegas have said that they wouldn't show out unless they get an expansion team. They don't want a terrible A's team and ownership
@@joshdrenth4526 There are 3 major problems with this:
1: California is shrinking. Not much reason to expand there unless you’re a startup league, and the MLB is not that.
2: Why has Quebec City not had a hockey team for decades? Simple: owners hate nostalgia. They always want the new, exciting cities, not cities like Montreal who’s attendance has sucked for the last few years they were there.
3: Oakland is not interested in a sports team, as they are redeveloping the Howard Termial for the public. No more stadiums will ever be built there, which is sad because Oakland had good support previously.
@@saintbrownthetrojan CA is not shrinking and needs to keep the A's. While I'm not an A's fan, I know tons who are and would not support them if they leave. They have the attendance numbers to beat out a lot of teams in the league but they don't show up because of a trash stadium and owners. Quebec doesn't need a hockey team. They don't have a fanbaase that's as strong as Toronto and Vancouver. Oakland has always been interested in having sports teams. Greedy owners are to blame though. The owners of the Warriors went across the bay because of money and the A's owners want to move because they want to grow Vegas' sports teams. Oakland has a lot higher of a TV market and I can guarantee you they would have a higher attendance in Oakland than Vegas if each were to have a brand new stadium and not so cheap owners
@@joshdrenth4526 If only Oakland was willing to build a new stadium. The Oakland Coliseum sucks. I get the Quebec City hockey counterclaim, but California is shrinking by about -100,000 residents per year (comparing in-migrants to out-migrants), which caused California to lose a political vote. Besides, does another Bay Area team really look attractive right now?
Watch out for the white Sox relocating. There lease is ova in 2029. They play in a horrible stadium. There owner is 89
If the Rays dont have the $$$$money to finance their own stadium they better move as Florida taxpayer is not going to give them the money… Ray’s C-YA!!!!
That's why they need to come to Orlando with the tourists tax they'll get the funding
They've spent five years trying to come up with public funding for a new stadium and have never managed to come up with concrete plans to raise more than ten percent of the cost. Any politician who committed to raising $400 or $500 million of public money would lose his job.
Depressed Ginger when MLB expands do you think they will stagger the Teams coming in like NHL did have 1 team come say 2027 then another 2029 something like that . Then talk after both teams are awarded then the idea of realignment and what that could look like the run never ends . Rob hinted maybe going back to 4 Divisions when the league expands that where the idea of Regional Realignment comes in to play . It's a wait and see what tye MLB going to look like bye 2030
The rays owner must have dirt on Manfred if he isn't making them move
A move to Tampa won't help them. Maybe 5000 more fans a game... still crap. Rays fans acting like Tropicana is in a forgein country... it's still the Tampa area. Yankees and Dodgers fan travel to see their teams play... have they seen the Bronx? Even with a good team... Rays fans are not gonna fully sell out a new stadium in Tampa. It will be Florida Marlins new stadium all over with low attendance. Rays fans are delusional... a new stadium is over a billion dollars... maybe make Rays fans sell out season tickets prior to see if they really are going to support a new stadium... you will then hear crickets from them. Even they know it. Even half of them on these comments don't even go to a single game every season.
Sell the team John fisher
I would say extremely worried, because Tropicana Field is just painfully awful.
MLB is dying. Move the Rays to Havana.
hahahaha
You mean Cuba 🇨🇺
It’s not dying. Great players like judge say to stay involved. How can you disobey such a great and huge man? Shall he move to Cuba at once ?
@@ericB3444It's guys like Judge making $40 mil plus who are killing baseball. Except for Tampa all the other small market teams come in last place in their division every season.
MLB is dying lol? Yeah right. UAE 🇦🇪 just brought the Baaeball United to that region in a way to grow baseball in Middle East. Former MLB players are behind it too.
bottom line, this is not rocket science, either move to Tampa proper, the city of Tampa or it's Nashville
Nah if not Tampa it's likely Orlando. What is with this obsession with Nashville?
Orlando is also possible.
@@dvferyanceNashville is a good idea for an expansion team, according to the MLB.
@@saintbrownthetrojan Yeah if they can get the people there willing to fund 2 new stadiums good luck with that.
Contraction of the Rays and A's is the best solution. I remember less than 20 years ago, MLB was proposing contracting the Twins and A's. Regional Sports TV contracts and Twins new stadium saved the day on that proposal. No expansion for too small country-cool Nashville and small, quiet, not much going on Salt Lake City. Might as well add Jacksonville, FL, not Orlando to the mix of expansion, hahahah. Last thing Orlando needs is another shopping mall, especially one near a MLB stadium that will have low attendance because most of the population have their favorite team from where they previously lived. MLB baseball does not work in Florida. Marlins play in the most densely populated area in Florida and no one attends the games. People in Florida like to chill under the a/c, beaches, shop and eat and be rude to their fellow man, not attend an MLB game, even under a roof with a/c.
Retirees don't attend games live, and they make up a very disproportionate segment of the Florida population. That is the real reason attendance for the two Florida teams is so bad. As the Marlins found out, building a new stadium isn't the answer.
Hope the Rays go to Nashville. I don't think they will get good attendance in Tampa/St Pete or Orlando.
I just want a team in Nashville. I truly dont care how we get it at this point. I want to watch MLB games and not have to spend almost 8 hours on the road minimum to watch a game. I get to watch a lot of MILB games, but I want to watch actual Major League Baseball.
Your presumed next mayor is 100% against publicly-financed stadiums and voted against the Titans' dome stadium. He's not going to offer one cent of public financing to a Rays relocation, a Brewers relocation, an Orioles relocation, or an expansion team. To get an MLB team in Nashville, it will have to be 100% privately financed.
@@wi54725 not my mayor. I just say this as someone who lives within a reasonable drive to Nashville but almost 4 hours to Cincinatti
Saint Petersburg blows move them to Tampa that's where it's at