The Tampa Bay Rays‘ lease with the city of St. Petersburg nearing its end in 2027 and they are working behind the scenes to keep baseball in the Tampa Bay area.
A new lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg seems to be out of the question. The stadium is dilapidated and in an inconvenient location for access.
The city and the Rays are currently at odds. The City has prohibited Rays’ ownership from negotiating to find another location to play their home games because the lease prohibits such activity.
The Rays are blocking the City from re-developing the valuable 86 acres they are leasing, as long as the city is blocking them.