Rays, Kriseman end talks on ‘shared season,’ city plans next steps in Trop site redevelopment

The city of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rays have ended negotiations over a possible “shared season,” with the Rays playing part of the time in Montreal.

Both the city and the Major League Baseball team agreed that the best path forward is to abide by the existing use agreement, with the understanding that agreement allows the Rays to explore post-2027 split or full seasons in St. Pete and elsewhere, Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a Dec. 4 memo to the St. Petersburg City Council.

If the Rays want to continue exploring the idea of splitting the team’s season between St. Petersburg and Montreal, it would have to be for the 2028 season and beyond, Kriseman said.

The memo also said the Rays declined an offer from the mayor to renew the Memorandum of Understanding that let the Rays explore full-time stadium locations in Hillsborough and in Tampa. 

Stu Sternberg, principal owner of the Rays, said he generally agreed with the mayor’s characterization of their months of talks, but he did not share Kriseman’s statement that “this is the best path forward.” See Sternberg’s full response here.

The city is willing to discuss funding for a new stadium for a full-time team, but will not contribute public dollars to build a stadium for a part-time team, the memo said.

The Rays have a lease that commits the team to playing at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg through the 2027 season, but they’ve been exploring other sites, in St. Petersburg and elsewhere, for about 12 years.  Meanwhile, the city has developed two master plans for the Trop site — one with a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and one without. “With no imminent discussions pending regarding a new stadium for a full-time team we will begin to evaluate our next steps in redeveloping at least parts of the site following additional public engagement,” Kriseman said.

Time is running short, he said. “With only eight seasons remaining under the user agreement, the Rays need to decide on their future soon, as it will take several seasons to finalize a future site and build a stadium either here in St. Petersburg or elsewhere,” the memo said.

Kriseman said he continues to believe that the Rays will decide to stay in St. Pete full-time, given the growth of the city, particularly in the area around the Trop. “A strengthening television market and record revenue across Major League Baseball only further solidify my belief,” he said.

He also urged St. Pete residents and fans to focus on the field and cheer for the team.