Rays owner reportedly has discussed moving team to Montreal
With Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon gone, Rays ownership has reportedly discussed shipping the team out of the Tampa Bay area to Montreal.
Brian Blanco
Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg has discussed moving the club out of the Tampa Bay area to Montreal, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Sternberg has long been outspoken about the team’s need for a new ballpark, with the Rays struggling to generate enough revenue and attendance in Tropicana Field to compete financially with their AL East rivals. The organization’s current stadium lease runs through 2027, and Sternberg has been frustrated in his attempts to build a new ballpark for the Rays in the Tampa Bay area.
That has reportedly led the Rays owner to discuss moving the club elsewhere, specifically to Montreal, which, of course, has been without an MLB franchise since the Expos left the city in 2005. The news of Sternberg's potential desire to move the club elsewhere comes at the end of a tumultuous week for the Rays, with general manager Andrew Friedman departing for the Dodgers and manager Joe Maddon deciding to opt out of his contract with the club.
But Tampa Bay’s stadium issues have persisted for years. The Rays ranked last in MLB in per-game attendance in 2014 and frequently play in a home stadium that is half-empty every night. Such a reality has greatly contributed to the club’s financial woes, with the Rays also consistently having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.
In regards to whether Montreal is a viable option for the Rays, one MLB official told the Daily News: “Say what you will about Montreal, but the Expos drew well over two million fans four times there in their heyday, while the Rays did that only once, their first year.”
Whether the Rays end up deciding to leave the Tampa area remains to be seen. There is no denying that competing against the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox on an annual basis while playing at Tropicana Field is a near-impossible task. But whether a new stadium would fix the club's financial problems — and whether Sternberg can convince local officials to help fund a new ballpark — is an open question.
Regardless, Sternberg appears to be eyeing Montreal as a potential landing spot if the club’s financial fortunes don’t improve in Tampa Bay.
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