The Rays in '16 were given a three-year window to explore ballpark options outside of Tropicana FieldGETTY IMAGES
Rays President Brian Auld said that there has been "no discussion of extending" the city of St. Petersburg's Dec. 31 deadline for the Rays to explore a ballpark in Tampa, and Auld does not see a "reason to talk about it at the moment," according to Richard Danielson of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The Rays were given a "three-year window" to "explore their options in Tampa." Auld said, "There's enough time to get done what we need to get done between now and the end of the year. In our conversations with the city and the county, and the folks working on the deal from their end, they have not asked or expressed a need for an extension, so since we don't see one on our end, I think we're in good shape." Auld added that the Rays have "tried not to be an issue" in the midterms, with various local officials up for re-election. Auld: "We'll get to baseball in due time." During a panel discussion at Amalie Arena, Rays 100 co-Chair Mike Griffin said that the committee looking to relocate the Rays to Ybor City is "meeting with companies to ask them to expand their buys of tickets, sponsorships and suites." Griffin added that so far, discussions have "gone well" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/31).
