Pushing Back, Sort Of

There I was reading in today’s paper how the White Sox almost signed free-agent pitcher Zack Wheeler (who reportedly turned down more money because his fiancée wants to stay on the East Coast, even if that means Philadelphia and the Phillies), when my eye caught a blurb about how the mayor of St. Petersburg won’t sign off on the Rays’ proposal to split its seasons between Florida and Montreal.  Well, that called for a little online research.

It appears mayor Rick Kriseman wants the Rays to be all in, at least until their Tropicana Field lease expires at the end of 2027.  Kriseman said that while the city was “willing to discuss contributing to the funding for a new stadium here in St. Petersburg, we will not contribute public dollars to construct a stadium for a part-time team.”  Why contribute anything at all, mayor?

The Rays, of course, are less than happy with Kriseman’s decision.  The team released a statement saying “the Sister City concept is deserving of serious discussion.”  I must say, the use of capitals is a nice touch.  But “sister” implies a family connection that just isn’t there.  This is all about dollars and cents, with the Rays looking to maximize their intake thereof. 

I’d be willing to bet the lease agreement is a sweetheart of a deal for the Rays, as virtually all stadium leases are; the landlord, aka local taxpayers, is left with crumbs.  So, St. Petersburg should want to share crumbs with Montreal?  That’s almost as funny as thinking the Rays will ever win a World Series using openers instead of starters.