Fastball

Tampa Bay Rays Get Major News on Thursday

The Tampa Bay Rays have been fighting for a new ballpark for years, and they got big news on that front on Thursday.

Brady Farkas

Tampa Bay Rays third base Isaac Paredes (17), shortstop Taylor Walls (6), pitcher Ryan Pepiot (44), outfielder Amed Rosario (10) and first base Yandy Diaz (2) stand with kids during the national anthem against the Cleveland Guardians on July 14.
Tampa Bay Rays third base Isaac Paredes (17), shortstop Taylor Walls (6), pitcher Ryan Pepiot (44), outfielder Amed Rosario (10) and first base Yandy Diaz (2) stand with kids during the national anthem against the Cleveland Guardians on July 14. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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The Tampa Bay Rays have been battling for a new ballpark for years and on Thursday, they got positive news on that front.

Per Steve Carney of St. Pete 9:

The first hurdle for the Tampa Bay Rays to continue playing in the area beond the 2027 season has been cleared, as Thursday the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 to pass the 12 binding agreements allocating funds and 105 acres of land on and surrounding the Tropicana Field site to build a ballpark and other developments...

The agreements will have the city provide bonds totaling $287.5 million for the construction of a new closed roof ballpark, with the Rays spending $600 million on their portion and paying for any cost overruns as well as upkeep.

The final portion of funds, coming from the Pinellas County Commission, is expected to be voted on July 30.

Now, this isn't a 100 percent guarantee that there will be a new ballpark or a new ballpark district, but it's certainly closer and looks promising for the Rays. Over the years, the organization has discussed ballpark plans in multiple different localities and even discussed the famed "split-season" plan with Montreal that started to gain some traction.

The Rays have been playing in Tropicana Field since the organization's inception in 1998. They advanced to the World Series in both 2008 and 2020, but they've never won a title.

Tropicana Field is often panned because of its funky ground rules and difficulty to get to, even for locals. Hopefully this new ballpark solution will help on both fronts.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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