It all started when Hurricane Milton did more than just tear the roof off Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay last October by triggering a chain of events, including the collapse of a promising stadium deal, which forced the team into a tiny minor league park for the 2025 season. Now, suddenly, the long-running whispers of a move down resurfaced.

The trouble began when a $1.3 billion stadium project in St. Petersburg fell apart because Sternberg couldn’t agree to a deal to build a new ballpark in the Tampa Bay Area. Sternberg stated, “After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment. A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.” This all happened in March, and in July, Sternberg agreed to sell the franchise at $1.7 billion, which he bought for $200 million back in 2004.

A new group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski is now set to take the reins. This group includes mortgage CEO Bill Cosgrove and minor league baseball owner Ken Babby, and in a stunning move, they also added Dr. Rick Workman, who was the main investor for the Orlando group. Expectedly, with the new ownership, the Orlando rumors hit a fever pitch. But on Foul Territory, Ken Rosenthal poured cold water on the Orlando theories.

“And though some people…think Orlando would be a great spot for them, and maybe it would be, it seems to me that MLB does not want to lose the Tampa Bay market. And that’s what this group’s first order of business will be, is finding a way to get a new ballpark built in Tampa,” Rosenthal pointed out.

He continued, “There are sites that are being considered. There are all kinds of possibilities there. It hasn’t been easy for Sternberg, but that’s in part because the Tampa government and the St. Petersburg government, both of them, really lost trust in him,” Rosenthal added. “So now with a new group…that seems to be something that will be more feasible…Now, might Orlando surface as a possibility if Tampa Bay doesn’t happen? Yes, but I just don’t see that [Orlando] really being a realistic thing.”

The Tampa Bay media market is the 11th largest in the nation, compared to Orlando, which, while growing, sits at number 15. For a league driven by massive television deals, it’s a big reason. And Tampa Bay, with a slightly larger population of over 3.3 million (Orlando’s 2.8 million), has a proven history of supporting three major pro sports teams (NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning) and a stronger economic foundation for sponsorships and ticket sales.

Meanwhile, the “Flap Boys” are trying to close out a deeply disappointing season

Playing their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ Spring Training field in Tampa, the Rays are struggling to stay above .500 with a 71-72 record heading into the game against the Chicago White Sox. They are in fourth place in the tough American League East. And their hunt for the Wild Card has taken motion, winning 7 of their last 10 games. Third baseman Junior Caminero even shared, “We just have to come play hard and take everybody’s head off.”

And talking about playing in a minor league park, the Oakland Athletics are also on the same page, which was a stark preview of what a full relocation looks like. After leaving their longtime home for a temporary stay in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, the team is struggling with a 66-79 record, sitting last in the AL West. But unlike Tampa Bay, the A’s future home in Las Vegas is rapidly taking shape, as the construction of their ballpark is already underway.

But the sale of the Tampa Bay Rays seems to be MLB’s solution to install an ownership group capable of finishing the job that Stuart Sternberg could not. What do you think the new owners would do first to win back the trust of fans? Let’s keep the speculations coming…