In an expected move, Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday to an ownership group led by developer Patrick Zalupski. The sale is expected to be finalized later this week.
The approval vote, which was confirmed by the league, was first reported by Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times.
The Rays’ current ownership group, led by Stu Sternberg, has owned the team for 20 years. It agreed to sell the team to Zalupski’s group for $1.7 billion this summer. After the sale is finalized, Sternberg and his partners will remain minority owners with a roughly 10 percent share of the team, though they are expected to fully divest their investment in the club in the coming years. They initially purchased the team for $200 million in 2004.
Due to damage to the roof of Tropicana Stadium during Hurricane Milton last year, the Rays have played their home games this season at the spring training stadium of the New York Yankees: George M. Steinbrenner Field. They are expected to return to Tropicana Field next season.
The new ownership group is expected to continue the franchise’s efforts regarding a new stadium. Sternberg spent much of his ownership tenure searching for a new location to replace Tropicana Field, which was built in 1990. A plan to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg fell through in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, leading to the team being put up for sale.
(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
Oct 15, 2025
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle