The Tampa Bay Rays have good intentions and are committed to the region but that may not be enough to keep the team here.
That is what Rays' owner Stu Sternberg summed up in a face-to-face meeting Thursday with Hillsborough County commissioners.
Representatives from the Rays' front office made a presentation to the commissioners about their goals and plans regarding Tropicana Field and the team's future.
"We are committed to Tampa Bay and hope to be here for another 100 to 150 years," said Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg, though he said attendance hasn't kept up with how well the team plays.
The team has made it clear it wants a new stadium, possibly in Hillsborough County.
"It doesn't take a lot to move forward, but we've got to start moving the needle in the other direction," said Sternberg.
However, the team's contract with the city of St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field remains in place through 2027.
"We have a fundamental problem with where the Trop is located and we need to address it as a region," Rays Senior VP Michael Kalt told commissioners.
When asked by commissioners if he intended to honor the Tropicana lease, Sternberg said "Yes. That's my intention, but I'll be very surprised if that happens."
He went on to explain that MLB will step in because they no longer believe baseball is viable there.
"MLB doesn't believe in Tampa Bay anymore. It doesn't matter if it's St. Pete or Tampa," Sternberg told commissioners.
Sternberg said MLB doesn't have a timetable to pull out of Tampa, but the numbers business-wise just aren't adding up and that can't go on forever.
"It's a franchise they could close the team up tomorrow if they need to," Sternberg said.
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster has said he's not interested in any discussions that deal with a stadium outside of Pinellas County.
"The only reason I'm convinced that the Tampa Bay Rays are still in Tampa bay is our contract. MLB blessed it," Foster said.
Could a new stadium in Tampa be the answer?
Sternberg couldn't address that directly because of his contract with the City of St. Petersburg but he alluded many times to keeping the team in the Tampa Bay region.