Rays owner facing pressure to sell team as MLB could pull revenue shares to force a sale: report

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg is reportedly facing increased pressure to sell the franchise from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and other owners, according to The Athletic. 

MLB could even try to take away part of the Rays’ revenue-sharing income to try and force a sale, per the report. The Rays get $60 million in revenue sharing currently. The reported reason for the pressure is related to Sternberg considering backing out of a stadium deal. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

A general view of the stadium before a game between the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)

Sternberg has until the end of this month to decide whether to continue with the new stadium deal in the Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. 

The Rays have been trying to build a new stadium for 17 years, and urgency to address the issue rose this past fall after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof of their current venue, Tropicana Field. The team is set to play their 2025 home games at the spring training facility of the rival New York Yankees. 

TRUMP TO PRESIDE OVER HISTORIC SPORTING EVENTS — WHICH TEAMS AND STARS COULD SKIP WHITE HOUSE VISITS?

View of the damaged roof of Tropicana Field stadium, the home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2024. (REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

The Rays and Sternberg previously planned to contribute $700 million to a new stadium. However, a delayed county vote led to a holdup in construction and therefore, increased costs, so Sternberg does