MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met with key government officials in the Tampa Bay area on Monday to express his interest in resolving the recent disputes about the future home of the Rays.
According to reports Tuesday, Manfred met with Pinellas County chairwoman Kathleen Peters and St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch.
Amid a recent back-and-forth between the club and local government, Peters issued an ultimatum of sorts in late November requesting the Rays to announce by Dec. 1 whether they remained committed to building a new $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg. That deadline came and went before Rays co-presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman responded by saying their agreement remained “in effect” and they were waiting on decisions from the county.
Pinellas County had delayed approval of $312.5 million in public sector bonds for the project, prompting the Rays to say the project would not be finished in time for the 2028 season.
According to Peters, Manfred expressed his support for the Rays’ deal — which was seemingly settled back in the summer — but he did not provide any solutions regarding the financial background of the agreement.
Nobody representing the Rays was present at Manfred’s meetings, reports said.
“We anticipate that the Pinellas County Commission will authorize the bonds at their next meeting. As we stated in our letter three weeks ago, we remain ready to work with all key stakeholders to fill the funding gap their delay has created,” Silverman said in a statement.
The key vote at the county level will take place Dec. 17.
Manfred also reportedly met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about the matter.
–Field Level Media
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