Rays President Matt Silverman said Tropicana Field was outdated before they even started playing theregetty images
MLB's 25-year experiment in Florida has "not gone according to plan," with the Marlins and Rays at a "moment of reckoning, as both teams face scrutiny after a winter in which they traded away talent to cut costs and rebuild," according to Jared Diamond of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The Marlins have "ranked among the bottom five teams in average attendance in 18 of the last 19 seasons," while the Rays have "ranked last at the box office in six consecutive seasons." In February, the MLBPA "filed a grievance against four teams accusing them of failing to spend revenue-sharing money appropriately," including both the Rays and Marlins. Expanding into Florida "seemed to make sense," as the state's large population of baseball-crazed Latin Americans "boded well." Florida also has "hosted spring training for a century." The Marlins believe they have the "right circumstances" following the $1.2B sale of the team to Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter, who are attempting to "turn the Marlins into a success." Diamond: "The onus now falls on Jeter to turn around what he admits 'is a complicated history.'" Meanwhile, the Rays have "faced problems since Day One." Rays President Matt Silverman said that Tropicana Field “was outdated before the Rays even started playing.” They also "had a string of missteps in the early-going that alienated some fans and business partners." The Rays believe ballpark location is their "biggest problem, pointing to their solid local television ratings." Team officials said that the Rays "need a new park not just to attract fans, but to attract sponsors in a market that lacks a large base" of corporate HQs (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/20).
