Could the Tampa Bay Rays move to Orlando? 'Dreamers' aim to make it happen

An Orlando-based group has its sights set on the Tampa Bay Rays as it looks to bring Major League Baseball to the 15th-largest media market in the country.

‘Significant momentum’

What they're saying:

"We've gained significant momentum in very recent weeks," Orlando Dreamers co-founder Jim Schnorf told reporters in Orlando on Wednesday. "I'm sure people are following the situation with the Rays and Saint Pete and their pending deadline of March 31st in order to come up with their portion of funding for the new stadium. And if they fail to do that and meet the other conditions, then the public financing from the city of St. Pete and Pinellas County will become void."

Rendering of proposed stadium for the Orlando Dreamers.

Rendering of proposed stadium for the Orlando Dreamers.

Years-long push to bring MLB to Orlando

The backstory:

The Orlando Dreamers was launched by Orlando Magic co-founder and Hall of Famer Pat Williams in 2019 as a renewed effort to make Orlando a Major League Baseball town. Williams passed away in July 2024 at 84 years old.

Pictured: Pat Williams next to Orlando Dreamers sign.

Pictured: Pat Williams next to Orlando Dreamers sign.

Cincinnati Reds legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, who has joined the effort as an MLB ambassador, told reporters on Wednesday that he'd spoken with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the volatility within the league.

Barry Larkin spoke this week about the possibility of bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando.

Barry Larkin spoke this week about the possibility of bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando.

"He did stress to me that they are looking for some stability in the game of baseball," Larkin said. "You think about the Tampa Bay situation; there are other teams where the relationships in their cities are not exactly at Major League standards."

Drama surrounds Rays stadium project

Local perspective:

The Rays had planned to open a new, $1.3 billion ballpark in Saint Petersburg for the 2028 season, with the local government approving the deal in the summer of 2024. However, the deal was delayed when Hurricane Milton struck in October, which not only delayed progress on the ballpark but also caused significant damage to Tropicana Field.

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Although the Rays' funding was eventually approved, the delay pushed construction timelines back. As a result, the team has announced that the stadium will not be ready until 2029 and that they are unable to cover the extra costs of the additional year of construction.

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Rays owner Stu Sternberg said on Monday that the team is still deciding what to do regarding a new ballpark. Schnorf said he had taken numerous calls about moving the Rays from Tampa Bay to Orlando while securing verbal commitments totaling $450 million from local and institutional investors.

The Source: This story was written with information collected by FOX 13's Matthew McClellan.

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