MLB Commissioner Pressuring Rays Owner to Sell Team
Stu Sternberg is feeling the heat. The Tampa Bay Rays owner is being pressured to sell his team by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and “some other owners,” according to The Athletic.
Several groups with Florida ties have already expressed interest in buying the team.
One potential buyer includes the family of Edward DeBartolo Jr., who owns the San Francisco 49ers and has roots in Tampa. Former New York Yankees minority owner Joe Molloy is working with the DeBartolo group, though he doesn’t bring the same financial muscle.
Dan Doyle Jr., who runs a Tampa-based office equipment company and previously tried to buy the Rays in 2023, is back in the mix too.
“What I can say now is this: The team has plans to stay in St. Petersburg, and we are fully committed to building on the great work that the city and county have already accomplished,” Molloy told the Tampa Bay Times on Sunday. “We are incredibly excited about this opportunity, and that’s all I can share at this time.”
If not St. Pete, other potential buyers have looked at Tampa (where the Rays will play in 2025 at George M. Steinbrenner Field), Ybor City, or even Orlando.
Sternberg has been trying to get a new stadium built for 17 years. Seventeen years!
The situation got even worse when Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field last year. Now Manfred and MLB seem to have run out of patience.
Sources told The Athletic that the Rays could lose some or all of their revenue-sharing money if they don’t finalize plans for a new ballpark soon. Sternberg and local leaders have been fighting all winter over who’ll pay for the proposed $1.3 billion stadium in the Gas Plant District.
If the Rays are sold, they’d be the fourth MLB team sold since 2019, joining the Baltimore Orioles ($1.725 billion), New York Mets ($2.475 billion), and Kansas City Royals ($1 billion).
The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels have also been on the market without finding buyers. The Minnesota Twins are expected to be sold before Opening Day 2025.
It’s been a rough few months for the Rays. After Hurricane Milton damaged the Trop’s roof, the team has been forced to play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field, normally home to the Yankees’ Florida State League team.
The team’s relationship with local politicians has turned ugly, raising serious questions about whether the Rays will stay in the St. Petersburg area long-term.
The Rays joined MLB as an expansion team in 1998 under original owner Vince Naimoli. They didn’t have their first winning season until 2008, but since then they’ve made the playoffs nine times. Last season was actually the first time in six years they missed the postseason.
