{"id":133859,"date":"2026-01-27T19:32:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/133859\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T19:32:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:32:18","slug":"another-contender-looms-for-new-tampa-bay-rays-ballpark-orlando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/133859\/","title":{"rendered":"Another contender looms for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark: Orlando"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tampa<\/a><\/p>\n

With owners negotiating a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark deal with Hillsborough College, local elected officials warn that the team could still bolt for friendlier fields\u2014and Orlando is the biggest threat.<\/p>\n

Last week the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to discuss an extreme makeover of the 113-acre Dale Mabry campus<\/a>that would include a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, a new Hillsborough College campus, and an entertainment district. No surprise:\u00a0we had tabbed the Tampa site as the leading contender to land the Rays<\/a>\u00a0given their ambitious development plans, and while there are plenty of issues before we see things move past the nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) stage, the clear intent is to place a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in Tampa.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, teams don\u2019t like to consider other possibilities while entering into negotiations like this, and with MLB unlikely to go along with a buyer in a possible expansion market like Nashville, we don\u2019t expect many rumors of the Rays bolting for another locale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Except for one: Orlando.<\/p>\n

Before the sale of the Rays to the current ownership group led by developer Patrick Zalupski, the Orlando Dreamers investment group had put together a big to buy the Rays. Members of the Dreamers investment group ended up being part of the Rays ownership, and even though the Rays have been clear about seeking a new Rays home, the Dreamers have been adding investors and patiently biding their time to see how a new Tampa ballpark works out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A move up I-4 from Tampa to Orlando would allow the team to stay in two of the largest media markets in the United States (the team has cable deals in both cities). There\u2019s the realization in MLB circles that the sweet spot for the Rays encompasses central and eastern Tampa, southwest Orlando and the I-4 corridor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who has worked for years to bring the Rays to Tampa, agrees that the backup plan could\u2014and should\u2014center on Orlando, even if the Rays haven\u2019t yet formulated such a plan,\u00a0per the Tampa Bay Times<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that it\u2019s either going to be located at (Hillsborough College) or the team\u2019s going to be in Orlando,\u201d Hagan said on a sports radio show Wednesday. \u201cThe reality is the they have significantly more bed tax revenue than we do, and they\u2019ve been pushing for a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, his prediction does not mean that Hagan, who has advocated for a ballpark in Tampa for more than a decade, is endorsing the potential move. He still believes a deal can get done in Tampa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an inferior market. Their TV market is below ours,\u201d he said on WDAE-AM. \u201cPeople think traffic is bad here? It\u2019s horrible over there. Orlando couldn\u2019t keep the Atlanta Braves spring training team, if you remember that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the reality is if a deal can\u2019t get reached here, I firmly believe (Orlando\u2019s) where they\u2019re going to be playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course a Tampa county commissioner is going to say those things, even if they\u2019re technically true but factually misleading. (Except the part about the traffic. That\u2019s very true.) But his central premise is correct: If Tampa Bay Rays owners and Hillsborough College can\u2019t agree on a ballpark deal, look for the Orlando Dreamers rev into high gear in pursuit of both the Rays and a new-ballpark deal.<\/p>\n

Rendering of prior plan for Ybor City ballpark courtesy Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORIES: MOU marks important step toward new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0Developer makes pitch for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in St. Pete<\/a>;\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays ownership: We want new ballpark by 2029<\/a>;\u00a0New owners close on Tampa Bay sale; new Rays ballpark next<\/a>;\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays sale approved; next up, new ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0MLB reviews Rays sale; Orlando bid hits hurdles<\/a>;Team sale revives talk of new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0St. Pete commits $22.5M to Tropicana Field roof repairs, 2026 completion<\/a>;\u00a0Sternberg scraps plans for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0Rays tell St. Pete they are behind Tropicana Field repairs<\/a>;\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays ballpark deals collapse, raising issues for 2026<\/a>;\u00a0Tropicana Field roof shredded by Hurricane Milton; Rays face plenty of ballpark decisions<\/a>;\u00a0Rays ballpark talks heating up across Tampa Bay<\/a>;\u00a0Sternberg: Yes, I\u2019m committed to a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t <\/p>\n

\t\tAbout Kevin Reichard
\n\t\tKevin Reichard is founder and publisher of Ballpark Digest.
\n\t\t\t
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