Well, that certainly did not last long.
The Tampa Bay Rays made headlines Thursday when they were granted permission from Major League Baseball to pursue the possibility of splitting seasons between St. Petersburg, Fla. and Montreal. But it appears that possibility may already be in some trouble.
The Rays’ plan reportedly was to play early-season games in Florida before spending the warmer summer months in Montreal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
BREAKING: The Tampa Bay Rays have received MLB's permission to explore becoming two-city team: the Tampa Bay area and Montreal, sources tell ESPN. The plan: Play early-season home games in the Tampa Bay area and finish the season in Montreal. News at ESPN: https://t.co/X6uSt4KLfC
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 20, 2019
But it seems the mayor of St. Petersburg is not too pleased over the news, and plans to block the Rays from negotiating a deal, as the franchise and the city have an agreement that carries through 2027.
#Rays plan for Montreal already appears near death. St Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman says he told team he would not grant permission for talks with Montreal. Rays have use agreement with St Pete until 2027.
— John Romano (@romano_tbtimes) June 20, 2019
So, it seems the Rays won’t be playing baseball in Montreal for at least the next several years. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be another baseball team north of the border as Montreal still is free to build a new stadium and pursue a team of its own.
