Bridge Over Troubled Water

The Rays for years believed that a winning team would bring fans to Tropicana Field, but with the club among MLB's best and empty seats still aplenty, Stuart Sternberg has seen enough. The Rays owner ups the ante in the high-stakes game for a new ballpark, proclaiming the club cannot survive long-term in downtown St. Petersburg. Sternberg reiterates his desire to stay in the Tampa Bay region, and his comments, ending the franchise's long-standing silence on the ballpark site search, should serve as the first step toward looking for a new location. This statement may ignite a battle between the Rays and their home city, as the team is contractually obligated to play at the Trop through '27. St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster bluntly says, "We won't entertain any discussion of having the stadium outside of the city." But Sternberg's frustration with the lack of fan support is evident, and it is unclear how much longer the Rays can afford to pair a winning club with an empty ballpark.