Sale of shelves that should be final by September, the team likely to stay in the Tampa region: Source
ATLANTA – The sale of Tampa Bay’s rays of the current owner Stu Sternberg to a group led by the developer of Jacksonville, Patrick Zalupski, for around 1.7 billion dollars, was agreed in principle and should be completed publicly in September, a person informed the process which was not authorized to speak publicly in September, a person informed the process that was not authorized to speak publicly in September, Informed the process which was not authorized to speak publicly in September, a person informed the process which was not authorized to speak publicly in September. Athletics Monday.
Zalupski should keep the team in the Tampa Bay region, with a strong preference to be in Tampa rather than in Saint Petersburg, the source said.
Sternberg bought the team for $ 200 million in 2004.
The Zalpuski group could not be joined immediately to comment. The shelves refused to comment.
Sporto reported in June that the Zalupski group was in advanced talks to buy the team and had signed a letter of intent. The Rays said last month in a statement that they were in exclusive talks with the Zalupski group, which includes Bill Cosgrove and Ken Babby. Zalupski is the founder of Dream Finders Homes, while Cosgrove directs the Union Home mortgage based in Ohio. Babby has a pair of minor league teams, the Akron Rubberducks and the Jummsonville Jummbo shrimp.
Last month, the other tenderers were still hoping to have won the team, including a group led by the founder of the Memphis designer fund, Trip Miller.
The sale could speed up a long -standing conclusion of the rays of a new stadium. For two decades, Sternberg tried to find a new house for the Rays other than Tropicana Field, which was built in 1990. But several iterations failed, including a unique plan that would have shared the team between Florida and Montreal. This spring, Athletics said that the Major Baseball League Commissioner Rob Manfred, and some owners were pressing Sternberg to sell.
The most recent Sternberg plan, to build a new stadium in Saint Petersburg, where the team is currently playing, was derailed after Hurricane Milton ravaged the region in the fall. The hurricane has considerably damaged Tropicana Field, forcing the Rays to play this regular season at Steinbrenner Field, the New Yorkees Spring Training Center and the Tarpons Home of the Tampa Minor League.
A fight against public funding for a new stadium also followed, and an agreed agreement of $ 1.3 billion to build a new park in St. Petersburg took place on the edge of this spring.
Manfred said last month that he hoped that the Rays could return to Tropicana Field for the 2026 season.
“The stadium repair advances,” said Manfred at the time. “We remain optimistic that we will be ready for the opening day or very shortly after. Obviously, the great possibility is what is happening with the hurricanes season, right? There is not much that you can do on this subject, except keep your fingers crossed.
(Photo: Brian Blanco / Getty Images)
