After Rays’ $1.3 Billion Ballpark Scandal, MLB Puts Homeless Athletics to a Major Disadvantage

The struggle for a stable home continues for two Major League Baseball teams. One is caught in the chaos of a multibillion-dollar deal. Another is still wandering without a true stadium of their own. The Tampa Bay Rays are facing huge uncertainty around their $1.3 billion ballpark deal in St. Petersburg. Florida and the Oakland Athletics are facing the reality of playing their home games in a minor league park in Sacramento. Right now the situation doesn’t look good. But this isn’t the only concerning factor.

Melissa Lockard, senior editor for the Athletic, came to the Foul Territory podcast to discuss this dire situation. First off, she mentioned that the Athletics’ incoming has drawn in excitement from local fans. But she highlighted that even if the A’s have made some tweaks, it is still a “Triple-A ballpark.” The stadium capacity is about 14,000 which will likely be filled to the brim most days.

Lockard says, “Yeah, I mean, you know, it is what it is, right?? It’s a museum that cannot be bigger than what it is out there.” She thinks that the community’s excitement can help for a while, but the long-term impact of playing in a minor-league ballpark will be felt. But this might not be the most absurd news for the A’s fans.

Turns out that even if the Oakland Athletics make it to the playoffs, they might not play in their temporary home. Lockard revealed MLB’s plans, “I believe that the contingency plan has been for both of those teams to have somewhere else to play in the playoffs. I don’t know if there’s been an official announcement, but I think that’s what we’ve heard.” They will probably have to take their game to San Francisco or elsewhere. Now, it seems even the Tampa Bay Rays might have to do the same.

For fans the thought of a team not playing their playoffs in a stadium they fought the entire season is absurd. Lockard also expressed the weirdness of the situation, “It’s ludicrous that we have two teams playing in minor league ballparks when you have, at the very least, one empty Major League-ready ballpark now.” Well, the Oakland Coliseum is mostly sitting unused now. And meanwhile, the situation for the Rays is getting more complicated.

Tampa Bay Rays’ $1.3 billion ballpark deal in limbo

The future of the Tampa Bay Rays and their ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla. is volatile. There has been progress with bond measures approved last month by the Pinellas County Commission and St. Petersburg City Council. But Rays owner Stu Sternberg is concerned over the delays and costs, which can shift the entire funding mode. The Rays are responsible for the $700 million of the base cost and any cost overruns, so Stu is undecided about moving forward with the present agreement.

The Tampa Bay Rays have until March 31 to meet requirements for public funding to be released. If things go otherwise, the bonding agreements could collapse. Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times, “We’ll see how we want to proceed at that point, well before that point. I have to make a decision, so we’ll have something by then. I will make sure our organization does what’s necessary to meet whatever conditions we need to meet.” Now this comment coming from him, and not his co-presidents, Brian Audl and Matt Silverman, is also rare. They, after all, have been the primary spokesperson for the team.

The team is also struggling with their current home. The city plans to repair the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field. They have informed the Rays that renovations might not be done before the start of the season. Meanwhile, the team is playing at the Yankees spring training facility. And amidst this farce, Sternberg’s comments were not taken well by local leaders with tweets like “Sell the team” coming from Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala.   

It is evident that currently, both the Oakland Athletics and the Rays have much more than their rosters to think about! Can you feel that? Share your thoughts with us!