Tampa Bay Rays officials responded Friday to Hillsborough County leaders saying they won’t be able to meet team execs’ June 1 deadline for approving a stadium deal, and the message is: The clock is still ticking.
“We understand the government parties’ concern regarding the timeline for completing the project agreements,” the team’s memo read. “At the same time, maintaining momentum is essential to keeping the project on track to open for the 2029 season, which is critical for the success of the project in Tampa Bay.
“Accordingly, we would like to continue working together toward a May vote on the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), with the shared goal of completing the definitive agreements as soon as reasonably possible thereafter. Based on in-depth discussions with potential ballpark contractors, we remain confident that the project schedule can be maintained.”
Voting on a stadium deal in May and “completing the definitive agreements” is a bold suggestion, since Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa would essentially be buying a pig in a poke. (Side note: Did you know that “pig in a poke” may come from the same metaphor as “let the cat out of the bag”? I did not until today!) If there’s one principle above all else in negotiating any kind of financial, it’s to never sign anything until everything in the contract is agreed on. Why are Rays officials in such a hurry, anyway?
In a letter to commissioners last week, Rays CEO Ken Babby described the deadline as an essential component that if not met, jeopardizes state funding that the deal is “economically infeasible” without.
Oh, right, they want to get this deal signed off on before Gov. Ron DeSantis leaves office at the end of the year. That would normally be seen as leverage the city and county could use to ask Rays owner Patrick Zalupski to lower his subsidy demands. Instead, Zalupski is doubling down by telling the county: You are running out of time to deliver this money.
There’s been no reply yet from county officials. Next on the negotiating agenda is a Tampa City Council workshop next Tuesday evening at the Tampa Convention Center (UPDATE: now at City Hall, or maybe old City Hall) to discuss its piece of the stadium plan, after which the standoff may well continue. It will then be Zalupski’s turn to escalate, but without any hostages to shoot or any Indiana to threaten to move to, he may have to choose between offering concessions and continuing his game of chicken and hoping city and county officials blink.
Other than being on the “right” side of the bay, this plan seems really stupid.
Why are all the MLB stadium plans so weird and dumb now? The A’s not revealing their financing as they build on land owned by one corporation and leased to another, land that’s true value is a gaming license that doesn’t apply to the part used for the stadium. This Royals thing involving Hallmark. The Rays taking over a community college. Each one of these plans is just ridiculous.
Makes me pine for the days when a city or county council just voted in the middle of the night.
One of the Rays owners was also the lead investor in the Orlando Dreamers project so its not like they have NO WHERE to go. I am not sure what the MLB rules are on moving within 100 miles of where you currently are, but San Francisco was ok to move 50 miles to San Jose back in the early 90s, so I’m not sure MLB will throw up a fuss about this. Tropicana Field to the Tampa Site is about 20 miles and this would be another 60 or so.
Not to state the obvious, but: Orlando doesn’t have a MLB-size stadium. If Zalupski wants to build one himself in Orlando, he can, but if he wanted to build one himself in Tampa now, he could do that too.
The Rays have 3 years left on their Tropicana Field lease and I doubt St Pete would resist if they asked for a 1-2 year extension to give time to build the stadium.