MANFRED SAYS RAYS, A’S NEED NEW BALLPARK DEALS SOON

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics need to reach new ballpark deals soon and left open the possibility of considering relocation if agreements are not struck.

“There is urgency with respect to Tampa,” Manfred said Thursday during a news conference following an owners meeting. “There needs to be a resolution in the Tampa Bay region for the Rays.“

Tampa Bay’s lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the team has played since its inaugural season in 1998, expires after the 2027 season. The Rays said in January that MLB had rejected the team’s plan to split its season between Florida and Montreal.

“Obviously, the end of that lease is a hard deadline, but you need to take into account that stadiums take a little bit of time to build, right?” Manfred said. “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.”

Asked whether he was considering relocation, Manfred responded: “Right now, I’m focused on Tampa,” putting emphasis on “right now” and later adding he was referring to the region, not the specific side of the bay. “I think a great man once said, all good things must end at some point. And but right now we’re focused on Tampa.”

The Athletics have played at the Coliseum since 1968 and their lease expires after the 2024 season. The A’s have proposed a new ballpark at Howard Terminal and are working with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to gain the necessary approvals.

“There is really significant activity in Oakland. The political process has moved along significantly,“Manfred said. “I met with Mayor Schaaf last week. She has done a really good job at moving the process forward in Oakland. But as you all know, California political processes are their own sort of animal. 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.” On other topics:

The new competition committee will evaluate a pitch clock and limits on defensive shifts, and Manfred hopes for a recommendation ahead of spring training.

MLB approved the sale of a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians to David Blitzer, co-owner of the NBA’s 76ers and the NHL’s Devils. Blitzer will have the right to increase his stake to a controlling interest in several years.

MLB hopes to increase digital offerings of games in an era of declining cable viewers.

Notable

Max Scherzer might be back in the Mets’ rotation before long. The three-time Cy Young Award winner threw 50 pitches in a simulated game as he recovers from a left oblique strain. It’s at least possible he could return to the Mets on June 26.

Pitcher Luis Severino was cleared to rejoin the Yankees, hours after being scratched from his start and put on the COVID-19 injured list.

All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker and the Mariners avoided a salary arbitration hearing when they agreed to a $14.5 million, two-year contract.

Rockies INF/OF Garrett Hampson was scratched from the lineup after being placed in the COVID-19 protocol following a morning test.