Given recent heated exchanges between the Rays and local officials over the planned new stadium, there has been growing concern that the team could soon be headed out of the Tampa Bay area for good. But Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred seemed to cool the tenor of that threat, saying Wednesday night that the league remained committed to the area and understood the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Asked specifically if MLB was considering giving the Rays permission to look at potential sites for relocation, Manfred said: “We’re committed to the fans in Tampa Bay.

I think given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now. ”And, he said, they are willing to give area leaders time to sort out plans for the new stadium. The $1.

3 billion facility, built adjacent to the current Tropicana Field site as the centerpiece of the Historic Gas Plant redevelopment, was to open in 2028. But the Rays say because of the Pinellas County Commission’s delay in approving bonds (with a vote now scheduled for Dec. 17), the stadium can’t be ready until 2029 and will cost prohibitively more, enough that the current deal no longer works.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty with respect to the situation in Tampa (Bay),” said Manfred, speaking to reporters in New York during quarterly owners meetings. “Much of that uncertainty we just don’t control. We need to let the government officials in Tampa Bay sort out where they are on a variety of issues.

I understand the delay given the kind of damage that they suffered down there. And we’re just going to have to wait for some of that uncertainty to resolve itself. ”As for the additional costs the Rays cited for the new stadium?

“Financial issues are financial issues,” Manfred said. “They’re resolvable in some way, shape and form. Whether these get resolved or not remains to be seen.

”With Tropicana Field severely damaged by Milton, the Rays have announced plans to play the 2025 season at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, the spring home of the rival Yankees. The St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday will consider approving funding to repair the Trop — a city commissioned report last week estimated the total cost at about $56 million — with plans to be ready for the 2026 season.

That timeline, however, is very tight, and the report does not necessarily include the cost of all repairs as some items were acknowledged as based on preliminary inspections. If Tropicana Field is repaired, the Rays would be back in their home stadium for what now would be three more seasons, as their original use agreement calls for a year to added for any season the team is not able to play there. If the council decides to not make the repairs, or goes ahead but the stadium isn’t ready for the 2026 season, the Rays would have to make arrangements for another season in an interim home.

That potentially could be out of state if they seek to play in a larger stadium than Steinbrenner Field (capacity around 11,000) and without the weather issues they will have during the summer months. Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports sceneSubscribe to our free Sports Today newsletterWe’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day. Loading…You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. Explore all your optionsManfred said there is time to sort that out, too.

“It’s one thing to make an interim arrangement for 2025, which we’ve done,” Manfred said. “When you get into another year, there’s obviously going to be another interim arrangement, unless they get the Trop fixed. And I think that second year of an interim arrangement, you need a plan as to how you’re going to get into a permanent facility.

”Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times last week that “the future of baseball in Tampa Bay became less certain” after the Pinellas commission didn’t approve the bonds as originally planned October, and that given the circumstances “(relocation) is not an unlikely conclusion. ”• • •Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida. Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams.

Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook. This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.