Report: Tampa Bay Rays choose Ybor City site for new ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays have settled on the location for a new ballpark, which team officials have said is a major step toward keeping the franchise competitive and financially successful.
The Tampa Bay Times is reporting an official announcement of Tampa's Ybor City area as the winner will be made Friday by Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg.
"This is a major step," Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan told the Times. "I’m hopeful this will continue to build momentum on our effort to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Ybor."
More: Report: MLB union to open spring training camp for unsigned free agents
More: Pirates catcher Elias Diaz's mother kidnapped in Venezuela
The Rays have struggled to attract fans to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, partly because the nearly 28-year-old facility wasn't built specifically for baseball and partly due to its location on the less-populous side of Tampa Bay. The Rays have called the Trop home since their inaugural season in 1998.
The club has an agreement with the city of St. Petersburg that allows it to search for a new ballpark through January 2019. However, financing for any new stadium would still have to be secured before groundbreaking could take place.
The Rays have had the lowest attendance in the majors each of the past three seasons, drawing an average of 15,477 fans per game in 2017.
In a 2013 series by Paste BN Sports Weekly, Tropicana Field ranked last among the 30 major league ballparks.
Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner
PHOTOS: MLB'S 100 NAMES YOU SHOULD KNOW FOR 2018