The Tampa Bay Rays have finally been granted permission to search for a brand new stadium inside the city.
The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the youngest franchises in Major League Baseball and have developed quite a culture in their short time, with a run to the World Series and constantly being a team that develops talented prospects into great baseball players.
There’s always been one constant for the Rays in Tampa Bay since 1998: Tropicana Field. The old stadium in St. Petersburg has been home to the Rays since they joined the league and it hasn’t aged well over the years.
It’s a tiny park for baseball and home runs and pop flies are constantly sent to the catwalk and ceiling of the park. The Rays have been trying to work on getting a new park for years, but they have never had the permission to do so.
On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 in favor of allowing the Rays to search for a new stadium inside the city, according to Tampa Bay News 9.
Had the Rays not been given the votes needed to search for a new stadium, there was a good chance that the franchise would have been sold or possibly relocated.
The move is a win-win for both the Rays and the city. While the Rays can search for a new location to build a stadium on, the city could also use the location of Tropicana Field for future developments, which would be financially beneficial for the city.
The Rays have always had a passionate fan base despite the fact that they are one of the smallest markets in baseball. Now with the vote in hand, they don’t have to worry about the potential of losing their baseball team and can look forward to a brand new stadium.