Rays owner, Tampa mayor meet to discuss moving team across bay

TAMPA, Fla. - The possibility of the Tampa Bay Rays moving out of St. Petersburg could be closer to reality. The team's owner met with Tampa's mayor to discuss the possible change in address.

Tuesday's meeting was the first for Mayor Jane Castor and Rays owner Stu Sternberg to talk face-to-face about the team building a stadium in Ybor City, specifically the site that was once home to K-Force headquarters, off Nuccio Parkway and 7th Avenue.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office told FOX 13 the Rays still hope to move forward with their plan to split the team between Tampa Bay and Montreal, which, he says, Castor is open-minded about.

Castor's main goal is to keep the Rays in the Bay Area, but she isn’t willing to simply open up the checkbook for a big new stadium. The spokesperson said the conversation included splitting the $700-million price tag of an open-air stadium with the team.

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Meanwhile, last week, St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman announced a Miami-based company will redevelop Tropicana Field’s 86-acre property into a massive space for retail, offices, housing, and green space that may or may not contain a stadium.

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"I think there’s a real opportunity here in that we now have a developer selected for us to be able to bring the Rays in and really talk some serious numbers with the team," said Kriseman.

The project includes plans for housing, and Kriseman said he expects to see mixed levels of affordability.