Rays move forward with new stadium; confident in pennant race

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – After two days of detailed finances, infrastructure dialogue, community development discourse, transportation networks and all things which grease the wheels of any municipality, there was one, final and distinctive conclusion.

At stake was the future of major league baseball in central Florida. Worn and subject to hurricanes and other natural disasters, Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays since inception of the franchise in 1998, came under the microscope and wrecking ball.

On the table was a decision from both the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County for a proposed new stadium for the Rays. In the balance lay the direction these governing entities sought to take and address the future of major league baseball after decades of debate, hostility and confrontation.

On Aug. 27, the Tampa city council, by a slim margin of 4-3 approved the project and the following day, the Hillsborough County commission, by a 5-2 vote, cemented the venture.

At the core is a new playing facility for Rays and a price tag of $2.3 billion for the stadium. Modeled after the Battery in Atlanta, the proposed mix-use site includes retail, restaurants, community housing, and a reimaged Hillsborough College campus.

The city of Tampa agreed to fund $80 million and that would be in four equal increments over a four-year period. The county is committed to $876 million and the Rays for the remaining $1.2 billion plus any cost overruns.

This deal changed within the last weeks of August.

Originally, the plan called for an equal partnership of 50 percent for the Rays and 50 percent for the two municipal entities. Then, the Rays agreed to pick up 65 percent of the cost and the remaining 35 percent among the city and the county. To the city and county, that was the significant game-changer.

Of principal consideration, the project calls for improvements to Hillsborough College, site of the stadium. A complicated portrait of pulling money from several sources to cover the cost of the stadium, methods of reimbursement, community improvement, neighborhood infrastructure designs and transportation concerns all occupied the attention of the city council and commission board members.

Following the final vote and the session gaveled out of session by Ken Hagen, chair of the Hillsborough County commission, he made a momentous statement. A former baseball player and strong advocate for the project, he slammed his gavel, proclaimed the meeting over and said, “dad, we did it.”

With that, the Rays can now prepare to move from St. Petersburg to Tampa and occupy their new venue across the busy Dale Mabry Highway in west Tampa from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL Buccaneers.

Going forward, the Rays hope to place shovels in the ground as early as next month and begin play in their new enclosed, 28,000 seat structure to open the 2029 season.

“Excited for our fans in particular,” said Rays’ manager Kevin Cash before opening a three-game set with San Diego on Aug 28 at home. “Congrads to (Ken Babby, the Rays’ chief executive officer), the organization and staff. A great deal of hard work went into this and there is lot to be excited about. Right now, we have our mind set on winning baseball games, but this is pretty cool for the Bay area.”

While the design of the actual stadium is to be determined, Cash dismissed the notion of having input into the design and structure. There is a determination, however, to involve others in the critical decision process.

One consideration is to take advantage of the Rays’ history of strong pitching. The question on the table could determine distances down the lines and to centerfield. The greater the distance, the more the Rays could take advantage of the dimensions.

“No, we have no discussion on any on that,” said Kyle Synder, the Rays pitching coach. “At some point, I’m sure we will be asked for our thoughts and opinions.”

In addition to coaches, players could make important contributions, Snyder acknowledged. The Rays’ staff contains several cerebral minds, like veterans Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, Bryan Baker, and Freddie Peralta.

The design and construction element was awarded to AECOM Hunt-Turner of Indianapolis. The company has built several stadiums, including recent new homes for the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. The firm also assisted in repairs to Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof during a October 2024 storm.

And down the stretch they come … Coming into play Aug. 28, the Rays had the best record in the American League and with 29 games to play, were in an envious position. FanGraphs calculated their chances of winning the AL East Division at 73 percent and a potential first-round bye in the up-coming post season.

“Our clubhouse now is pretty similar to what it has been all season,” said closer Bryan Baker, who leads the majors with 38 saves. “We’re not overcome with the moment but we did have a rough home stand (2-7 between Aug. 14 and Aug.20) the last time we were here. I think we’re in a good spot overall, and I like where is everyone is right now.”

On the diamond … Left-hander Shane McClanahan gutted out a 9-4 win over San Diego and to open a late August home stand. The victory raised his season mark to 10-6 and a 3.19 ERA. Allowing just three hits but four runs in his 5 2/3 innings, McClanahan told reporters he was satisfied with the win but could have improved his production. “My job is to put the team in a position to win,” he said. “I did that (against San Diego) and I could have done some things different. But, I’m very hard on myself. Still learning and figuring some stuff out. Look, I love competing and I’m proud of that. Wish I could have a couple at-bats back, but that’s baseball.” … For his effort, McClanahan allowed the most runs in a start since he surrendered six to the Red Sox in Boston on July 19. In allowing four earned runs, he gave up a pair in the fifth and then was torched for a two-run homer from Jackson Merrill in the sixth. … The Rays were powered by home runs from Yandy Diaz, with two-out in the second, and a solo blast from Cedric Mullins with two-out in the seventh. They also scored five runs in the fourth on only two hits. In that frame, they were aided when Junior Caminero was hit by a pitch, Chandler Simpson reached base on an error and Jonny Deluca squeezed out a full-count walk. Loser Casey Mize allowed those five runs and all were recorded as unearned.

More with the Padres… In the middle game of the three-game set with San Diego, righthander Nick Martinez (13-4, 2.93) opposes righty Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.63). In the series finale Aug. 30, righty Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.95) takes on Padres’ lefty Robbie Ray (11-7, 3.21. The home stand concludes with three against the New York Mets.

The post Rays move forward with new stadium; confident in pennant race first appeared on Through The Fence Baseball.

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