Rays’ new ballpark plan suffers setback

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team’s plans for a new ballpark in Tampa’s Ybor City can’t be finalized by this month’s deadline and he’ll reopen the site search, delaying any opening until at least 2024. The team has played since its first season in 1998 at what’s now called Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., where its lease ends in 2027. St. Petersburg city council voted in early 2016 to give the Rays through December 2018 to conduct a search throughout the Tampa Bay area, and the Rays unveiled a ballpark design for Ybor City in July. Despite the delay, Sternberg says he remains committed to keeping the team in the area.