Tampa Bay Rays Consider Relocating Part-Time to Montreal

(Bloomberg) -- The Tampa Bay Rays may be relocating -- sort of.

The Rays, who for years have unsuccessfully lobbied for a new stadium, received permission from Major League Baseball’s executive council to explore a plan that calls for them to split their season between Florida and Montreal. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred disclosed the plan following owners’ meetings.

“My priority remains the same -- I am committed to keeping baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come,” Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg said in a statement. “I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.”

Under the plan being considered, the Rays would play early-season home games in the Tampa area and the remainder of the season in Montreal, which lost their previous team -- the Expos -- after the 2004 season. That club became the Washington Nationals.

The return of big-league baseball to Montreal has support in Montreal, including from private equity mogul Stephen Bronfman, whose father, Charles, was the original owner of the Expos.

Bronfman, chairman of Claridge Inc., reached an agreement last month with real estate development firm Devimco to develop a plot of land where a stadium would be built. Bronfman, who heads a group seeking baseball’s return to Montreal, said Devimco would be responsible for the purchase of the land and would partner with his firm to develop the site.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a pro sports team has called two locales home. In 2003, the Expos played 22 home games in Puerto Rico. In the NBA, Kansas City and Omaha hosted the Kings during the 1970s.

The Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field runs through 2027. The team averages a paltry 14,545 fans a game, better than only the Miami Marlins.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net

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