MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and other team owners are pressuring Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg to sell the team due to ongoing stadium and financial issues. The Rays have struggled for nearly two decades to secure a new stadium, with Tropicana Field damaged by Hurricane Milton complicating matters. Financial and political tensions have escalated, particularly over a $1.3 billion stadium deal in the Gas Plant District, leading to delays and cost overruns.
Several potential buyers, including the family of San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. and former Yankees minority owner Joe Molloy, have shown interest in purchasing the team. Manfred's push highlights MLB's commitment to maintaining a viable market in Florida. With the March 31 deadline for the stadium deal approaching, the pressure on Sternberg to resolve the issue or sell the team is intensifying.
Team president Matt Silverman emphasized that funding isn't the problem: “It’s not a question of whether we have the funds. We do,” Silverman said. “The question is whether it’s a good use of those funds to commit us and MLB to this ballpark for the next 30 years.”
Listen as Ryan Gorman and Dana McKay discuss the ongoing drama on this morning's show.