John Romano: These cities are waiting in the weeds if the Rays don't get a stadium built

TAMPA, Fla. — Just because there hasn’t been a lot of noise lately about a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium doesn’t mean things aren’t happening.

The Senate president, for instance, recently came up with a proposal that included $500 million in state funding along with sports gambling taxes and a possible sports and entertainment taxing district — in North Carolina.

And the mayor is reconvening a tourist development committee in July to discuss the possibility of putting a record-setting influx of revenues from hotel and bed taxes toward a new ballpark — in Orlando, Fla.

And while financing is still a major question mark, two potential downtown locations for a stadium/entertainment district have been identified and the hope is that land will be secured by the end of the calendar year — in Nashville, Tenn.

And, yes, I’m being a little snide. Maybe a lot of snide.

At this moment, there is no reason to believe the Rays have any intention of heading out of town. They’ve been immersed in drawing up the War and Peace-sized group of documents that will outline the stadium agreement in Hillsborough County.

Still, it’s interesting to watch from afar as other communities position themselves for a possible relocation or expansion bid. Cities are not yet throwing crazy money at stadium proposals, but they do seem willing to have a conversation about what it would take to lure a big-league team.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed hope that the league could begin the process of expanding by two teams sometime before he leaves office in 2029. That would likely mean one team in the west (Salt Lake City? Portland? Vancouver? Sacramento? Oakland?) and another in the east.

The Rays have been careful not to use the possibility of relocation as a public threat, but it simmers just beneath the surface of all stadium-related discussions. With that in mind, here is a look at cities considered leading contenders for an MLB team in the eastern half of North America.

Raleigh, N.C.

The outgoing Senate president in North Carolina wanted the state to put $500 million in the upcoming budget to help fund a potential $1.7 billion stadium. The rest of the money would come from an increase in hotel occupancy tax in Wake County, as well as taxes on sports gambling, the income tax of MLB players and a specialized taxing district.

The plan seemed to be generating a lot of momentum until the state House threw cold water on it. A report in the Carolina Journal said House leaders had the stadium proposal removed from the state budget, which is due to be voted on this week. The Journal report suggested the idea could be revived in a standalone bill or a future budget.

North Carolina is the most populous state without a Major League Baseball team, and Raleigh has one of the highest median incomes in the nation. A victory celebration for the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes drew more than 190,000 residents, and there is abundant land available near the hockey arena for a baseball stadium.

Charlotte, N.C.

If the North Carolina legislature follows through on the stadium funding plan, the state money would also be available for a potential stadium in Charlotte. The greater Charlotte market is substantially larger than Raleigh and is already home to the NFL and NBA.

Funding might be a little more challenging in Charlotte considering the city approved an $800 million renovation of Bank of America stadium (with $650 million coming from hospitality and tourism taxes) and a potential site is not as obvious as the Raleigh location.

Nashville

Long considered the leading contender for an expansion site, Nashville’s efforts were somewhat cooled when Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced last year that any MLB stadium would need to be privately financed after the city invested more than $1 billion toward the construction of a $2.2 billion facility for the NFL’s Titans. Nissan Stadium is expected to open in 2027 and is scheduled to host the 2030 Super Bowl.

Nashville’s wealth, population and upward trajectory are all enticing to MLB. And the former governor, who owns the Nashville Predators, has been a supporter of the baseball push. The big question is who is going to come up with the private financing plan to build a stadium. Former big-leaguer Dave Stewart has long been involved in Nashville’s push and, a few years ago, pitched the idea of using 100 acres on the Tennessee State University campus, much like the Rays’ plan at Hillsborough College.

There is also talk of two different sites in/near downtown, but they have not been publicly identified.

Orlando

Officially, the Orlando effort is for an expansion team. Considering the struggles of Tampa Bay and Miami with attendance, it seems farfetched that MLB officials would be eager to put a third team in Florida. That would seem to suggest Orlando’s best hope is luring a team like the Rays.

With that in mind, Orlando has two factors in its favor. No. 1, an enormous tourist base and the revenues it produces through hotel taxes. No. 2, Manfred’s support for a team in central Florida. Of course, if the Rays hit a roadblock in their Tampa plans, there is no guarantee the new ownership group is committed to remaining in Florida once the Tropicana Field use agreement expires after the 2028 season.

With Orlando poised to raise $400 million in tourism dollars in the current budget year, Mayor Jerry Demings recently reformed a citizens advisory committee to consider ways to spend the funds. The money cannot be used for general revenue purposes and instead is earmarked for tourism, sports and arts projects. The last time the advisory committee met a few years ago, the bulk of the funds were steered toward a convention center expansion.

Montreal

Once MLB officials squashed the idea of a sister city plan with the Rays, the momentum seemed to fade in Montreal. Still, the city has a larger population than most of the other contenders and support for the Expos in Montreal was better than retellings would have you believe.

Montreal has a prospective owner who supposedly has a secret plan for a privately financed stadium within an entertainment district in some unannounced part of downtown. It’s probably not wise to discount Montreal’s chances, but it’s hard to assess without any concrete news from elected officials there.

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