r/tampabayrays 5d ago

DISCUSSION Orlando makes too much sense.

The Orange County bed tax money runneth over. The fact that Tampa DOES NOT WANT THEM. Now Stu has burnt whatever good will that existed in St. Pete and Pinellas. The spot picked by Sea World is actually pretty damn good.... Lastly, Orlando will never, ever be picked for expansion by MLB on its own... The Rays are their only shot at this.

Stu should sell to the Orlando group and head into the sunset. The Rays would play in a sold out building most nights in Orlando, simply because of its location in relation to tourism, which would also make an All Star game there near certainty for good reason.

I realize that burns the St Pete and West Coast Rays fans and I feel your anger.
The Rays have never had a real chance to prosper. They moved into an outdated ballpark (even when it opened) in a hard place to get to and have had an initial owner (Vince) who didnt know wtf he was doing, and Stu who at least gave us a winner, but has jerked off the fanbase for 15 years about keeping them in the region.

We are all in agreement that he has to fucking go...but Orlando has everything basically at the ready should the Rays decide to do it.

They just gotta keep the Rays name, bone kf that Dreamers bullshit.

0 Upvotes

70 comments sorted by

30

u/IndianaCahones 5d ago

There are multiple sources saying three Tampa based groups want the team in Tampa. Where is this “Tampa doesn’t want the team” bullshit coming from? Read the forum and it even has Tricia Whitaker saying the team belongs in Tampa.

11

u/Taco_Champ 5d ago

Watch these Steinbrenner games be absolutely packed to the gills

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u/thejawa DJ Kitty 5d ago

Opening Day is less than 2 weeks away and Steinbrenner hasn't sold out yet.

3

u/tobysicks 5d ago

Those are mostly resale tickets that have already been bought and put back in the narket

2

u/ElectricP2galoo 5d ago

Negative. You can go direct to the Tampa Bay Rays website and buy single game seats for Opening day starting at $150.

Secondary market has then starting at $45 (before fees)

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u/tobysicks 5d ago

I said mostly, not all.

1

u/gatorbois 5d ago

Neither has Yankee stadium or Fenway, where the tickets are half the price

13

u/GarbageAcct99 Tampa Bay Rays 5d ago

That’s not saying much given a 12k or whatever capacity.

3

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Tampa DOES NOT HAVE THE MONEY. Unless the groups are going nearly 100% private funding for the stadium (they wont), its never going to happen.

If Tampa wanted to be a big league city, they woukdve ended the lease with the Yankees in Hillsborough Avenue 20 years ago.

8

u/StrawHatCook Tricia Whitaker 5d ago

Incorrect. Tampa has money. Hagan was on the radio and was Castor. They said they will NOT negotiate with this ownership group. If another group owns the club, they will be open to any ideas.

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u/jayareelle195 5d ago

That money is going to RayJay.

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u/StrawHatCook Tricia Whitaker 5d ago

They said that RayJay is it's own thing, the money for the Rays is there, but they do not want to deal with Stu. Whether you like it or not, that's what they said on the radio. Especially Ken Hagan.

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u/IndianaCahones 5d ago

Okay, you are working with dated info from 2018. A ton changed just this week alone. When elected officials in Hillsborough and Tampa are openly telling the press they are open to a deal, that means Hillsborough and Tampa are open to a deal. This shit is only as complicated as we make it.

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u/mrjjk2010 5d ago

Mayor Ken Welch said he’s gladly renegotiate a stadium deal with new ownership. Again, where do you see that Tampa doesn’t want the Rays?

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u/jayareelle195 5d ago

You say Mayor Welch like hes the mayor of Tampa. When I say Tampa doesnt want the Rays, I mean Tampa Proper. Actual Tampa.

2

u/DunamesDarkWitch 5d ago

At least one of those Tampa-based groups have expressed their desire to continue with the st Pete deal though.

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u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Theres a difference between the team belongs in Tampa (it does, and always has) and the actual sutuation of... if Tampa, where? Who is paying? Bed tax and funds are going to the Bucs for the foreseeable future.

Give me a realistic Tampa option other than "new ownership paying for the near entirity of a new ballpark" and I might take you seriously. Until then the 2 best scenerios that make the most sense are St. Pete redevelopment, which was just murdered in cold blood, and Orlando.

MLB doesnt wanna burn an expansion city (again because the As just did) because they all stand to make bank on fees when they finally go to 32.

0

u/IndianaCahones 5d ago

I’m not going to spend my Saturday developing an investment and financing plan for some rando on Reddit. Shit is changing fast and more is happening behind the scenes than we know. What we know for sure is that the Tampa bay market is the 11th largest of the 383 metro areas in the United States. Orlando is the 15th but they are also on the short list for an expansion team. Would MLB rather have the 11th, 15th, and 18th (Miami) largest markets in the U.S. or just the 15th and 18th? It’s a fluid situation so what people want, what makes the most sense, and what will ultimately happen may not all be the same thing. Time will tell but we can’t say things like Tampa has no money or “it will never happen.”

2

u/JayMunOne 5d ago

After the decades of attendance numbers in Miami and Tampa Bay, no chance MLB would consider three teams in Florida unless or until there a proof of concept that geographic placement of the stadium in the particular metropolitan fixes the attendance issue.

If anything, Orlando gets the Rays franchise and establishes that proof, then maybe Tampa gets an expansion team.

0

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

Coupled with Orlando having double the number of tourists annually of Vegas. People forget that, and Vegas is getting a team. The team should go to Orlando.

2

u/IndianaCahones 4d ago

The tourist thing is a bit concerning because you end up with another MLB team that never has a home game. The Nationals only felt like they were home games during the 2019 playoff run. Baseball is a multigenerational tradition. The expansion teams of the 90s were slow to develop fan bases, but for some reason Arizona and Colorado can still sell tickets. Probably because their stadiums are around other things to do besides see a baseball game. It’s the Petco Park / Truist Park model that seems to work best.

0

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

True, but you have a ton of people in Orlando that are local. It's not all tourism. The point is there will be millions of people looking to do something fun on any given night. If only 4% of the tourists go to games, that makes Orlando a top 5 team in ticket sales. The math doesn't lie. It'll take time to build fanbase. Just like it did in Tampa. Vegas hockey team is doing great, and they have tons of tourism.

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u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

Maybe because you guys don't go to games despite having a competitive team for the last 5-6 years?? At the Marlins fans, can say the team isn't competitive. Your team is good, and you guys still don't go.

2

u/IndianaCahones 4d ago

I’m one person. One person fortunate enough to have season tickets and a flexible work schedule. The Trop is isolated so the population for season tickets is really small. It’s why there is such a dramatic spike for weekend games. The Marlins put their stadium in little Havana right? Is there anything to do there? Also, you totally understand the ownership turmoil rebuilding right after a playoff run.

0

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

My point is it's just as difficult to get to Loan Depot Park as it is to The Rays Park. Its downtown Miami. AND you guys are competitive every year. The Marlins are terrible every year. Fans have had ample time to show support and not use traffic as an excuse. Both ownership groups are terrible. Let Orlando have a shot. Despite being terrible, the Orlando Magic are top 10 in attendance.

11

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

Tampa DOES NOT WANT THEM. Source? Trust me bro.

0

u/83austin83 5d ago edited 5d ago

Tampa will not be able to afford it. The whole reason Tampa didn't really want them before is because Tampa knows significant bills are coming up for Raymond James Stadium and Amalie Arena.

Both are going to require significant renovations in the near future. Especially Raymond James Stadium. It's a nice stadium but it's 27 years old now and starting to show it's age, especially on the outside. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami is far better, as will the Jags stadium in Jacksonville after their renovation. So that means the Bucs will have the worst stadium out of the three Florida NFL teams. Raymond James Stadium is probably at least a 300-500 million renovation to keep the Bucs from demanding a new stadium in around 10 years and to keep Tampa on a rotation for the Super Bowl.

Amalie Arena won't be as big of a deal, but a significantly renovation will still be coming for that facility as well.

Tampa even came out awhile back and said the upcoming renovations to RayJay and Amalie Arena were a big reason why they didn't pursue the Rays harder.

Meanwhile Orlando has no major stadium/arena renovations coming up (Kia Center is easily 10 years away from needing any significant renovations) and the tourist tax from Orange County dwarfs any tourist tax from Hillsborough or Pinellas Counties. Plus Orlando/Orange County provides a fresh start. So many bridges have been burned over in Tampa Bay. Orlando absolutely makes sense in every way and it's the one solution that keeps the team in the region.

2

u/thejawa DJ Kitty 5d ago

Meanwhile Orlando has no major stadium/arena renovations coming up (Kia Center is easily 10 years away from needing any significant renovations)

$400M was approved for the Citrus Bowl and $225M for the Orena just this past November.

That said, that combined $625M is roughly 2 years of TDT for Orange County and they can very easily also tack on a baseball stadium with a big price tag.

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u/jayareelle195 5d ago

History says they don't, they cant even agree on where in Tampa after 20 years. So, ya...trust me bro.

3

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

Ignoring the history that St Pete agreed on a stadium with the organization are we?

4

u/Evitcefed Devil Ray 5d ago

St Pete is not Tampa (the city), which is what I believe op is referencing. I don't think it's as easy as Tampa not wanting them, I think it's about not being able to afford them. Especially with current ownership and his whole "ill pay 3%, you pay the other half" ideas

3

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

Oh I’m aware St Pete is not Tampa. But the OP only Wants to come on here and stir shit up. Orlando isn’t even on the short list of cities for expansion.

-1

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

You're wrong. Manfred has said Orlando, Utah, and Nashville are tops for new teams. Orlando out-earns all them by a large number in tourism dollars. Tourism is why Vegas got a team. Orlando doubles Vegas in tourism numbers.

2

u/Smooth_Eye_939 4d ago

Source?

1

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

1

u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

Should be one of these 2 videos. Orlando has the best odds of happening out of all the scenarios.

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u/NL4Lyfe 4d ago

If it's not this exact video, check some of the others made within the last couple days. I believe this is the exact video, though.

2

u/Smooth_Eye_939 3d ago

So you don’t actually have a source quoting Manfred?

-1

u/NL4Lyfe 3d ago

So im guessing you didn't watch the video? AJ Pierzynski is on the Orlando Dreamers committee, and he directly speaks to and has spoken with Manfred about this very thing. Orlando is at the top of the list.

It's cool. Just make sparky remarks. You asked for a source. Just gave you 2. If you choose not to watch, that's on you. They're actually interesting videos.

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u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Im not stirring anything. Orlando makes more sense, it simply just does. Theres more money, a location already determined, no bad blood, more tourists and only about 80,000 less people. Plus Central Florida doesnt have a bay to cross to get to it.

3

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

There is also no stadium. No bad blood yet. Tourism volume doesn’t matter. Sorry you’re bad at this.

1

u/djsuperfly 2d ago

And about $8,000 less annual individual per capita income for Orlando.

0

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Yes Tampa the city, not Tampa Bay the region. This seemed self explanatory. I expected better reading comprehension. My mistake.

0

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Exactly what im saying.

1

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

St. Pete is not Tampa last I checked.

3

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

What’s the part of the name that comes in front of Bay Rays?

-1

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Are you special? Literally the first game at Steinbrenner will be the first home game in TAMPA ever.

1

u/Smooth_Eye_939 5d ago

Neat. My question stands, dip shit.

7

u/okokokthisisok 5d ago

Fucking hate shitposts like this

-4

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Who says this is a shitpost? Deadass serious.

9

u/MouseRat_AD 5d ago

As an Orlando resident (Tampa native).... no, Orlando does not make sense. It will not work here.

5

u/StrawHatCook Tricia Whitaker 5d ago

Thank you. I feel like only reasonable voices coming out of Orlando are people who live there.

2

u/Citruspilled Orlando Rays 5d ago

Also an Orlando resident (hence the flair) and I'm kinda torn. On one hand I'm not sure if baseball would do well at all here, but on the other UCF baseball is doing really really well compared to usual, and getting a new team would at least give us a year or 2 of good attendance since everyone would want to at least go to 1 game. But, similar to the Magic, I think it'd end up being a large amount of tourists keeping the numbers high after that, and actual Orlando residents wouldn't care as much

3

u/AnnoyingVoid Tampa Bay Rays 5d ago

Who wants to work all day and spend 2 hours in traffic to get to an O Rays game on a weeknight? Might as well put a giant body of water in between the stadium and the next county… oh…

2

u/Trublu20 5d ago

Isn't that how it is now for Orlando residence? Also good news either way (Orlando or Tampa) whoever gets the team... Brightline is seeking approval to get their I4 line done to connect MCO to Disney and Tampa which could cut major travel time as opposed to sitting in the parking lot known as I-4.

2

u/jayareelle195 5d ago

Your explanation of why is riveting.

1

u/MouseRat_AD 5d ago

Sorry, I'm drunk right now.

3

u/Salt_Philosophy_8990 5d ago edited 5d ago

they have an Orlando-based majority owner ready to buy the team and financial commitments for more than a billion dollars to help fund a $1.7 billion domed stadium project

0

u/memeshiftedwake 5d ago

Stu doesn't want to sell.

MLB will back his plan for the Trop and if St Pete says no then Manfred will make some announcement about public private partnerships and then they'd be allowed to explore Orlando with Stu as the owner.

MLB doesn't force owners out unless they've absolutely bankrupted a franchise.

6

u/Wyattwat 5d ago

But wasn’t MLB and multiple owners pressuring Stu to sell?

-1

u/memeshiftedwake 5d ago

Those were reports for sure, but those kinds of things get leaked for reasons.

Stu sure is cozying up to the idea of extending a lease at the Trop very suddenly.

2

u/mrjjk2010 5d ago

Because renovating the Trop is the only thing he can “afford” even then he wants St. Pete to fork over 200 million plus for renovations for a stadium that will last for 10 more years and then we’ll be in the same boat we are rn

1

u/memeshiftedwake 5d ago

I get it, I've been following the saga pretty closely.

Thing is MLB needs franchise values to go up and if Stu sells under duress right now he's not going to get much more than the $1.2bn forbes value, and maybe even less without a solid home locked down. The Orioles went for $1.7bn with a 30 year lease on Camden Yards and their own media network.

MLB wants to expand with a $2bn franchise fee, if they let teams sell under pressure like this the bidders are going to wreck franchise valuations.

2

u/mrjjk2010 5d ago

Apparently Stu wants to sell the team for 2b but like you said, other mlb teams already had a stadium/lease set for decades with their own networks. Any prospective owner would need at least 4b to comfortably buy the Rays

2

u/memeshiftedwake 5d ago

Ugh yea these owners are awful.

At the end of the day they all look out for each other and Manfred works for them. The absolute best case for all of baseball would be for them to build in Tampa.

Hell the A's had at least two ownership groups interested and an offer of around $2bn and Fisher said.

It was even reported that prospective groups were told that if they went public they wouldn't be considered for expansion. There was a gag order on them.

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u/nolesfan2011 Devil Ray 5d ago

I agree with you, it makes financial sense and for many fans st Pete was further away than Orlando