Tampa Bay Rays Attracting Potential Buyers That Could Keep Team Local or Relocate Franchise

The Tampa Bay Rays aren't even for sale, but if they were for sale, there are multiple potential buyers interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic.'

We may not just have one possible relocation to worry about in baseball: We may have two.

We already know that the Oakland Athletics want to jump ship for Las Vegas but apparently, the Tampa Bay Rays are attracting interest from buyers if the team decides to sell. Those buyers could keep the team local, or could relocate it to a city that is often mentioned for expansion. Portland, Charlotte, Nashville and Montreal come to mind as possibilities. 

Again, this is an IF scenario. The Rays are not for sale at this point and after the death of the Tampa-Montreal split-season scenario, they have remained focus on getting a new ballpark in Florida.

That hasn't stopped buyers from poking around though, according to Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic."

At least one local businessman is trying to buy the franchise, according to sources briefed on the discussions who were granted anonymity so they could speak candidly. The team also is drawing interest from groups that would relocate the club to one of the cities that is a candidate for major-league expansion.

Building a $1.2 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg or Tampa remains the Rays’ primary focus, however. Owner Stuart Sternberg is in talks with potential investors and other sources of capital that would help fund the project, the sources said.

Rosenthal also mentions that the Rays would likely sell for less than a possible $2 million expansion fee would cost, so interested buyers may rather just buy the Rays than deal with the uncertainty of an expansion team.

The Rays currently have the best record in baseball at 34-13.

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