Tampa Bay Rays May Relocate To Montreal

The Tampa Bay Rays are having a rough offseason as they’ve lost two prominent members of the team’s hierarchy. This has prompted the owner to threaten relocation to Montreal.

Joe Maddon leaving the Tampa Bay Rays to enter managerial free agency has sent shock waves across the Tampa area. But perhaps the worst news hasn’t yet come about yet, as there is now mention among leadership that the team could relocate to a better market.

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That’s unfair to Rays fans who are loyal to the team, but the club hasn’t gotten the new stadium it desires and losing both Maddon and team architect Andrew Friedman isn’t something that is going to work in favor of the Rays getting a new stadium.

According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg has mentioned the possibility of moving the team to Montreal to fill the void left by the departed Expos.

This is a risky move by Sternberg but it’s something that may result in something getting done in Tampa. What the team needs is a new stadium and that’s not something St. Petersberg wanted to give the team even when they were in the World Series a few years ago.

Now that Maddon and Friedman are gone, the team is even less likely to get what they want — unless they move to a market that is thirsty for baseball. The community of Montreal wants baseball back, and even though the Rays are in shambles, they would be welcomed with open arms in Canada.

That’s something Sternberg knows and while it may just be leverage against St. Petersberg now, it could be a threat that becomes real very soon.

The Tampa Bay Rays are having a rough offseason as they’ve lost two prominent members of the team’s hierarchy. This has prompted the owner to threaten relocation to Montreal.

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