Tampa Bay doesn't support the team. Even if they built a new facility it would draw Marlins size crowds. The lease can be negotiated and the team can pay an exit fee. Montreal wants a team. Playing 1/2 the home games in Montreal isn't the solution. Even if they only draw 20,000 in a new Montreal stadium it would be over double what they can draw in Tampa Bay. In reality what MLB should do is consolidate both the Marlins and Rays and reduce the amount to teams in the majors by two. Obviously you can't do it because of the new Marlins stadium. If they were still playing in Hard Rock Stadium this would be an easy solution. MLB is unsustainable in Florida. The expansion to Florida was done to sooth the players association over charges of collusion. It no longer works. The Tampa Bay situation is a total farce. You have a competitive team that can't draw flies.
There are lots of teams that struggle to draw. Some good and some bad, baseball has priced itself out of alot of families budgets. $30-40 a ticket minimum at most parks. $20 to park, $8 hot dog, $6 soda, $11 beers. Family of 4 is dropping $300ish to go to a game..... now consider that when there is 81 home games. Most people cant afford more than 1-2 games a year
The TB Rays are highly profitable to ownership and have the 6th best overall W/L record in MLB over past 9.5 seasons.
Over their final 14 yrs Expos consistently averaged approx 40% vs league average attendance and in final six seasons they barely drew 30% of league average.
Rays have - over past five seasons been on forefront of a wholly new business model for 21st century pro baseball.
1) No shortcuts on funding MiL along with aggressive player recruiting outside the USA has them with Top3 MiL system to steadily feed the ML club.
2) Building a ML roster that is 75% men aged 29 or younger and being very selective in trying to keep anyone under contract for more than eight years - thus avoiding the need to choose between overpaying a player in Years 4-8 and letting him fall away as a FA and return no future value
3)Reducing current stadium experience to approx 25,000 max attendance as well as discussing new stadiums that have similar seating capacity.
There is virtually no significant motivation for them to move to another market but admittedly it makes for fun yakkity yak talk in late June when the other three major sports are closed for in-season play
Over their final 14 yrs Expos consistently averaged approx 40% vs league average attendance and in final six seasons they barely drew 30% of league average.
Rays have - over past five seasons been on forefront of a wholly new business model for 21st century pro baseball.
1) No shortcuts on funding MiL along with aggressive player recruiting outside the USA has them with Top3 MiL system to steadily feed the ML club.
2) Building a ML roster that is 75% men aged 29 or younger and being very selective in trying to keep anyone under contract for more than eight years - thus avoiding the need to choose between overpaying a player in Years 4-8 and letting him fall away as a FA and return no future value
3)Reducing current stadium experience to approx 25,000 max attendance as well as discussing new stadiums that have similar seating capacity.
There is virtually no significant motivation for them to move to another market but admittedly it makes for fun yakkity yak talk in late June when the other three major sports are closed for in-season play
A lot of this is smoke and mirrors as the Rays want a new stadium.
Their current stadium is a dump and its hard to get to traffic wise
The "nobody wants to watch baseball indoors" comment is incorrect b/c watching the marlins in their new stadium (dome) over their old stadium (not a dome) is like nite and day as we dont leave sweating bullets or drenched from the rain.
Their current stadium is a dump and its hard to get to traffic wise
The "nobody wants to watch baseball indoors" comment is incorrect b/c watching the marlins in their new stadium (dome) over their old stadium (not a dome) is like nite and day as we dont leave sweating bullets or drenched from the rain.
The team makes money without fans going to games through revenue sharing. It's ridiculous and looks bad on TV. Do you really think they are averaging 14,545 in the stands. Obviously there are some businesses that are obligated to buy season tickets. Would love to see the actual head count of fans in seats. Miami is averaging 9378. I'll bet it's more like 3378. MLB stop publishing fans through turnstiles years ago. MLB has issues with three stadiums. Oakland which is a crumbling wreck, Tampa Bay where they can't keep the lights on and Anaheim which is definitely passed it's sell by date. The state of California and Orange County have no intention of helping Artie Moreno build a new stadium. If your saying Montreal is not viable as a Major League city than that doesn't leave many cities who are looking for an MLB team. Maybe Portland, San Antonio and Las Vegas. No team wants to be the third team in Las Vegas but I still think if Tampa or Oakland moved there they would draw more than they are drawing now. Oakland would draw more if they can resolve the stadium issue in the Bay Area. If the A's ever decided to move to Las Vegas they would have to put up the bulk of the money for a stadium. Only way that will happen if they can get someone like Jeff Bezos to buy a share of the team. I'm actually surprised that Bezos isn't aggressively trying buy some professional sports franchise or become partners in one. No owner wants to give up a piece and they are content with making money every year as the value of their franchise goes up because it's rare that they become available for sale.
Thank you for helping make my point that this team is highly profitable while *also* fielding a highly competitive team.
Unlike the Marlins who are perpetual fourth and fifth place, Rays have 6th best record for all MLB past 9.5 seasons
No one cares "how it looks on TV" with regard to attendance. We only care about being competitive and at moment Rays remain on pace for 97+ wins.
Montreal may well get a new team (along with Vegas) when MLB makes the move to 32 teams but it will not be coming from St Petersburg FL
I suppose it depends on who your favorite team is.
Approx 24 teams are *less* competitive year in year out than Rays.
Maybe if your team made Final Eight a couple times while spending the other seven seasons out of contention by early August, a crowd of 25,000 to watch a club with numerous players making eight figures is what guns your engine.
jibberish....it has nothing to do with one's favorite team. I just pointed out to you that the Rays blow donkey balls year in and year out. Those are facts.
And you come back with that last sentence of yours?? Yes, watching your club win the World Series is the point of all of this dude. And yes your team needs high priced talent to win. When will you understand this? Maybe you don't care because the Rays are the epitome of mediocrity which is what you must be striving for.
Thats what all the Fans of the Tampa/St. Pete market are looking for....Men under age 30 scrapping by 3rd place year in and year out.
And you come back with that last sentence of yours?? Yes, watching your club win the World Series is the point of all of this dude. And yes your team needs high priced talent to win. When will you understand this? Maybe you don't care because the Rays are the epitome of mediocrity which is what you must be striving for.
Thats what all the Fans of the Tampa/St. Pete market are looking for....Men under age 30 scrapping by 3rd place year in and year out.
29th in attendance, the lowest valued team in MLB, only $27 million in operating income in 2018, the owners want to play somewhere else and this guy is bleating on about them being a success.
I mean, their model is: take the revenue sharing and don't spend it on payroll.
Presto!! LOOK AT HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE!!
I mean, their model is: take the revenue sharing and don't spend it on payroll.
Presto!! LOOK AT HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE!!
The Rays are considered one of the biggest revenue-sharing recipients, getting what is believed to be about $45 million a year.
[FONT=Georgia, Cambria, Hoefler Text, Liberation Serif, Times, Times New Roman, serif]That isn't enough to keep the owners from looking for a new venue because of profitability.
The idea that this is some great successful thing because they win games nobody wants to go watch is funny as hell.[/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Cambria, Hoefler Text, Liberation Serif, Times, Times New Roman, serif]That isn't enough to keep the owners from looking for a new venue because of profitability.
The idea that this is some great successful thing because they win games nobody wants to go watch is funny as hell.[/FONT]
These new stadiums and these over inflated salaries need to stop. At this rate we are about a decade away from guys signing deals for close to a billion dollars.
Getting as new stadium every 20-25 years is a waste of $$. Especially baseball. No one goes to these games. Attendance just keeps decreasing yet salaries keep increasing
These teams try to hold the city hostage by leaving. That's fine. I wouldn't really care if my favorite team left the city. These days. You can watch any team you want from wherever you want.
I care more about the economics of my city and state than about tailgating on a Sunday with a bunch of fat ass alcoholics
Getting as new stadium every 20-25 years is a waste of $$. Especially baseball. No one goes to these games. Attendance just keeps decreasing yet salaries keep increasing
These teams try to hold the city hostage by leaving. That's fine. I wouldn't really care if my favorite team left the city. These days. You can watch any team you want from wherever you want.
I care more about the economics of my city and state than about tailgating on a Sunday with a bunch of fat ass alcoholics
Good luck with The Rays Trevor
The Rays are expected to call up pitcher Trevor Richards to start Sunday’s game against the Tigers, according to a tweet from Juan Toribio of MLB.com (link). Peter Fairbanks was optioned to Triple-A Durham in an accommodating move.
This will be Richards’ first appearance in a Rays uni since being acquired by the club in a deadline deal. A Marlins product who started 45 games for Miami since his debut in 2018, Richards was sent to Tampa along with reliever Nick Anderson in exchange for righty Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesus Sanchezon July 31st. While Anderson has already appeared in six games for a 72-52 Rays club, Richards has been plying his craft in Triple-A, where he has mostly been working in short spurts (5.1 innings through three minor league appearances).
Perhaps most noted for his past employment as a public school substitute teacher, Richards has been mostly passable as a major league starter thus far in his career–even if free passes have been problematic for the 26-year-old righty. In 238.1 big league innings, Richards has posited a 4.46 ERA and 4.37 FIP. His 10.2% career walk rate sits notably above the 8.3% MLB average.
The Rays are expected to call up pitcher Trevor Richards to start Sunday’s game against the Tigers, according to a tweet from Juan Toribio of MLB.com (link). Peter Fairbanks was optioned to Triple-A Durham in an accommodating move.
This will be Richards’ first appearance in a Rays uni since being acquired by the club in a deadline deal. A Marlins product who started 45 games for Miami since his debut in 2018, Richards was sent to Tampa along with reliever Nick Anderson in exchange for righty Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesus Sanchezon July 31st. While Anderson has already appeared in six games for a 72-52 Rays club, Richards has been plying his craft in Triple-A, where he has mostly been working in short spurts (5.1 innings through three minor league appearances).
Perhaps most noted for his past employment as a public school substitute teacher, Richards has been mostly passable as a major league starter thus far in his career–even if free passes have been problematic for the 26-year-old righty. In 238.1 big league innings, Richards has posited a 4.46 ERA and 4.37 FIP. His 10.2% career walk rate sits notably above the 8.3% MLB average.
