Rays To Stay In Tampa Bay After Major League Officials Decide Against Split Season: Report

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Major League Baseball officials squashed the Tampa Bay Rays' proposal to split the team's season with Montreal, creating more questions for St. Petersburg residents, Stuart Sternberg said Thursday in a news conference, according to ESPN.

The rejection surprised Sternberg, who expected approval after spending two and a half years on the project, he said.

Brian Auld, Rays president, was "extraordinarily disappointed" about with decision, he told the Tampa Bay Times.

The decision did not mean the Rays will stay at Tropicana Field when its lease expires at the end of the 2027 season.

Rays officials spoke with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor about building a full-time stadium that would cost in excess of $1 billion.

The Rays continued to see falling attendance in St. Petersburg, a longtime problem.

Last season, team owner Sternberg upset many fans and former Rays players when he mentioned hanging a banner in the stadium advertising the split season plan just hours before the Rays clinched the American League East division title.

Fans took to Twitter to blast his idea. Sternberg later said it was a big mistake to announce it during the playoffs.

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch wants to create a full-time home for the team, he said in a news release Thursday.

"We are working with our county partners and city council to put together the best plan possible, which will work in conjunction with my planned evolution of the Tropicana Field master development proposals," he said. "With this collaborative approach, I am confident we can partner with the Tampa Bay Rays to create a new and iconic full-time home for Major League Baseball in St. Petersburg while also achieving historic equitable economic growth."

When Rick Kriseman was mayor of St. Petersburg, he created a redevelopment plan for Tropicana Field that would begin construction at the end of the 2027 lease. Many development companies submitted proposals, and in December Kriseman chose Midtown Development for the project.

Related Patch Stories:

• 'Big Mistake' To Announce Rays Move To Montreal During Playoffs
• Mayor's Trop Redevelopment Pick Has Affordable Housing Commitment