Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala said he will be happy to see Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg go.<\/p>\n
Sternberg has an agreement in principle to sell the franchise<\/a> to an investment group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion, according to The Athletic.<\/p>\n Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred<\/a>, in Atlanta for the All-Star Game, said, \u201cI have no reason to quibble with or dispute the reports that have been out there,\u201d when asked Tuesday about a potential sale.<\/p>\n Zalupski sat with Manfred at the Home Run Derby on Monday night at Truist Park, according to the Tampa Bay Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Latvala said he has not met with Zalupski or any groups interested in buying the team yet, but hopes the new ownership will be more involved with the local community.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my biggest complaints with Stu is I don\u2019t believe he really cared about Tampa Bay at the end of the day,\u201d Latvala said.<\/p>\n He said the next owner should take a page out of Jeffrey Vinik\u2019s book. Vinik bought the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010, moved here from Boston two years later and invested in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you have to have a lead investor that\u2019s from the area to care about the area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Dream Finders CEO in talks to buy Tampa Bay Rays<\/a><\/p>\n Pinellas County Commission Vice Chair Dave Eggers agreed that the new owner needs to be generous with the community to be successful.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s really important that a community feel embraced by the ownership group to be a part of this community as opposed to a distinct and separate entity,\u201d Eggers said.<\/p>\n Tampa favored for stadium<\/p>\n Zalupski is reported to favor Tampa for the new stadium after the Rays contract to play at St. Petersburg\u2019s Tropicana Field ends in 2028.<\/p>\n Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said he spoke with Zalupski last month about bringing the Rays to Tampa and was \u201cvery confident\u201d an agreement can be reached to do so.<\/p>\n Hagan added that preparations are in place for a possible move, but that the county will step back until a sale is final. According to The Athletic, that is expected by September.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce things are finalized, then we will get on the phone, sit down, have a meeting and discuss things in earnest,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cBut until then, again, we\u2019re just going to let the process play out and respect everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n Ybor City <\/a>remains a possible spot for a stadium, but Hagan did not rule out a ballpark at the Florida State Fairgrounds<\/a>. On thing he was certain of: The Rays are done with St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/strong>Tampa Bay Sun announces vision for Ybor Harbor stadium<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSt. Pete is a failed business model and every objective analysis and demographic [analysis] confirms that, and the new ownership group as well as Commissioner Manfred has been consistent with saying that their No. 1 priority is Tampa,\u201d Hagan said.<\/p>\n The Rays are playing this season at Tampa\u2019s Steinbrenner Field because Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton in October. The Trop is undergoing repairs and is expected to be ready for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Keeping the Rays in Tampa Bay<\/p>\n Latvala didn\u2019t want to say which side of Tampa Bay he wants the team to call home, only that he doesn\u2019t want it to leave the area.<\/p>\n Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the same thing, but added a move to Tampa would be more likely.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like there\u2019s going to be new owners and a good possibility that the team will be moving to Tampa,\u201d Castor said.<\/p>\n Castor said she hopes to find out more about where the Rays will end up in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n