Manfred: It's time for a solution to Athletics', Rays' stadium issues
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday that it's increasingly urgent to resolve the Oakland Athletics' and Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark situations.
"There is really significant activity in Oakland. ... But as you all know, California political processes are their own sort of animal," Manfred said, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. Manfred noted that he recently met with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf.
"There's work to do on the Oakland side. I think the A's prudently have continued to pursue the Las Vegas alternative. We like Las Vegas as a market. Again, it's in the same category as Tampa. We need a solution in both of those markets, and the time has come for that solution."
While A's ownership explores moving the team to Las Vegas, the Rays have not created a viable relocation plan after their sister-city scheme with Montreal was officially taken off the table.
"I think there is urgency with respect to Tampa Bay," Manfred said, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I've said this before and I'm going to say it again, there needs to be a resolution in the Tampa Bay region for the Rays. Obviously, the end of that lease (at Tropicana Field after the 2027 season) is a hard deadline. But you need to take into account that stadiums take a little bit of time to build, right?
"So we are getting to the point where, wherever it is in the region that has an interest in having 162 baseball games, they need to get to it. Get with the club. I know the Rays are anxious to get something done. And see if a deal can be made."
The league and the Rays are currently exploring new ballpark plans in and around the Tampa area. However, if nothing materializes, relocation could be possible.
The A's rank last in the majors in attendance, averaging 8,283 fans per game at RingCentral Coliseum, where they've played since 1968. That's roughly 2,500 fewer fans on average than the second-worst club.
The Rays, meanwhile, rank 26th with 13,740 fans per game.
While the Athletics' abysmal on-field play - they sit last in the majors at 21-43 - is doubtless affecting their attendance, the Rays are coming off back-to-back division titles and are in the thick of an ultra-competitive AL East race.