In an aired piece with the MLB Network this afternoon (video to come), Rays’ principal owner Stu Sternberg spoke about the deal to explore stadium locations in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties reached between the city of St. Petersburg and the Rays yesterday afternoon.
If an agreement — or one like it — cannot be reached in the near future, the Rays could be leaving Tampa Bay. The initial vote will come Thursday, when the City Council of St. Petersburg next meets. If one cannot be met by December 11th, the City Council will have 60 days to amend the Mayor’s memorandum, and vote upon it once again. Per a tweet from Marc Topkin, Sternberg views the Thursday Council vote as “a big hurdle,” and if approved it will set time frame for action.
It was written elsewhere,
Should the new deal be passed by the City Council, the Rays will have until Dec. 31, 2017 to declare an opt out date from the current lease, then will be required monetary amounts for each year vacated. The Rays must declare this Termination date in writing before they are allowed to pursue any negotiations with a site outside St. Petersburg city limits.
If the Rays are unable to move forward, Sternberg announced it is his intention to sell the Rays to a new ownership group.
Key quote from #Rays Sternberg: “I’m not leaving. I’m not moving this team. I’m not taking this team out of the area. But that’s me. (cont)
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 9, 2014
More from #Rays Sternberg: “The chances of me owning this team in 2023 if we don’t have a new stadium are probably nil.” (cont) S
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 9, 2014
More #Rays Sternberg: “Somebody else will take it and move it. It’s not a threat, just the reality.” (cont) — Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 9, 2014
He, again, reiterated that he has no intention of moving the team, though if Sternberg cannot find a new stadium for his investment, he has every intention to sell the team to someone who may move the Rays.
“It remains very possible we could still be in St. Petersburg,” said Sternberg who added a caveat of sorts, “We need to get the building and the location pinpoint perfect for that to happen.” In short, he left a clear message to St. Petersburg’s City Council: approve the deal and allow the Rays to find a new stadium, or risk losing the team entirely.
Noteworthiness
- You can read more about Sternberg’s comments at the Heater blog.
- Well, this is interesting:
.@BobBuckhorn: @TBLightning owner Jeff Vinik’s plans for Channelside don’t include a @RaysBaseball stadium #Wtsp pic.twitter.com/AHLcK5NV9W
— Kendra Conlon (@KendraWTSP) December 9, 2014