The Tampa Bay Rays and the city of St. Petersburg have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday to provide finalized details about a new downtown ballpark. The franchise has consistently fielded competitive teams in recent years. However, they have faced difficulties in attracting fans to their current stadium, Tropicana Field, which is widely considered outdated within Major League Baseball.

Efforts to construct a potential new stadium have been underway for several months, and the announcement during the news conference is expected to shed light on the progress made. Since their inception in 1998, the Rays have been playing at the Trop, but their average attendance this season is only 17,778 per game, ranking 27th out of the 30 big league teams. The Rays have often operated with one of the lowest payrolls in the sport.

The consistent low attendance and the lack of a new stadium have led to constant rumors about the franchise’s possible relocation once their lease expires in 2027. In the past, there were discussions about the Rays splitting their seasons between St. Petersburg and Montreal, but that plan was rejected by Major League Baseball.

Similarly, the Oakland Athletics on the other side of the country have expressed their interest in moving to Las Vegas due to similar issues with their aging stadium. Therefore, the completion of a new stadium in St. Petersburg would bring an end to this ongoing saga, allowing the Rays to focus on competing with notable teams in the American League East division, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles.

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