Advertisement
NEW YORK — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics must reach new agreements soon, leaving open the possibility of considering a move if agreements aren’t reached.
“There is urgency about Tampa,” Manfred said Thursday during a news conference after an owners meeting. “There has to be a solution in the Tampa Bay area for the Rays.”
Tampa Bay’s lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the team has played since its inaugural 1998 season, expires after the 2027 season. The Rays said in January that MLB rejected the team’s plan to split its season between Florida and Montreal.
“Of course, the end of this lease is a tough deadline, but you have to take into account that building stadiums takes a little time, doesn’t it?” Manfred said. “So we’re getting to the point where wherever there’s an interest in 162 baseball games in the area, they’ve got to get to that, get together with the club — I know the Rays are anxious to get something done — and see if a deal can be made.”
When asked if he was considering moving, Manfred replied, “Right now, my focus is on Tampa,” stressing “right now,” later adding he was referring to the region, not the specific side of the bay. “I think a great man once said all good things must come to an end. And for now, our focus is on Tampa.”
The Athletics have played at the Coliseum since 1968 and their lease expires after the 2024 season. The A’s have proposed a new ballpark at Howard Terminal and are working with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to get the necessary permits.
“There’s really significant activity in Oakland. The political process has progressed significantly,” said Manfred. “I met Mayor Schaaf last week. She’s done a really good job moving the Oakland process forward. But as you all know, the California political process is its own breed of animal. There’s a lot to do on the Oakland side. I think the A’s prudently continued to pursue the Las Vegas alternative. We like Las Vegas as a market. Again, it’s in the same category as Tampa. We need a solution for both markets and the time for this solution has come.”
Oakland has averaged a major league low of 8,283 fans this season and the Rays are 25th at 13,740, also ahead of Miami, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
On other topics:
• The new competition committee will evaluate a pitch clock and limits for defensive shifts and Manfred is hoping for a recommendation before spring training,
• MLB approved the sale of a minority interest in the Cleveland Guardians to David Blitzer, co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Blitzer has the right to increase its stake to a majority stake in a few years.
• MLB hopes to increase digital gaming offerings at a time of declining cable viewership.
“We’re worried about our range,” Manfred said. “We think we have fans who want to see baseball who don’t feel they have a proper opportunity.”
Apple is streaming games on Friday nights this season and Peacock is streaming games on Sunday mornings starting at 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. EDT.
“We view Apple’s and Peacock’s efforts as part of an effort to respond to a rapidly changing media environment,” said Manfred. “Having a relationship with Peacock, and by extension NBC, is important to us in the long run. And Apple is an innovator, and we must innovate in our efforts to bring games to fans on platforms that they use and visit frequently.”
• On the proposed international draft. The employment contract provided for a deadline of July 25 to reach an agreement with the players’ association.
“Our concern, and I think this has been well documented over time, is situations where clubs make commitments to players before they are technically of age,” Manfred said. “There are people involved in these negotiations that take a really significant part of the compensation that should go to the player off the top.”
Manfred said MLB sent millions to fight corruption in the Dominican Republic.
“It’s easy to say that it’s the people who wrote the check that are involved in corruption, but someone takes the check, right?” he said.
• About the Minor League’s new housing policy.
“It’s been difficult because of the housing shortage, the availability of the type of housing you want,” he said. “We’ll get better at that over time.”
• Whether moving last year’s All-Star game from Georgia due to voting rights will lead to decisions on location of events based on other political issues such as gun control and reproductive rights.
“Individual clubs,” he said, “will make decisions about where they want to be in their market on certain issues. But I think the overriding idea is to welcome as many people as possible.”
• To Michele Meyer-Shipp, who resigned last September after about a year with MLB as chief people and culture officer. Their responsibilities have been divided between Billy Bean, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; April Brown, Vice President for Social Responsibility; Regan Waters White, senior vice president of human resources; and Mike Hill, senior vice president of on-field operations.
• Former President George W. Bush – former owner of the Texas Rangers – was Wednesday’s guest speaker.
