Tampa Bay Rays asked to state intention on stadium by Sunday - ESPN

The Tampa Bay Rays have until Sunday to declare whether they want to commit to the construction of a $1.3 billion stadium originally voted on in July.

Pinellas County Court Commission Chairperson Kathleen Peters issued a letter on Monday to Rays presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman requesting a decision from the team.

Last week, Auld and Silverman wrote a letter to the County Commission that suggested the team would not agree to a deal for a new stadium and is «ready to work on a new solution» in the area.

The Rays wrote in the Nov. 19 letter that a new stadium would not be completed in time for the 2028 season, while opening a stadium the following year would be too expensive. The team also wrote that it has spent over $50 million toward building the new stadium, but the county has allegedly «suspended work on the entire project.»

«As we have informed the county administrator and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, the county's failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark,» the Rays wrote.

«As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.»

Peters shot back at Auld and Silverman in her letter, calling the team's claim that completing a ballpark in 2029 would be too expensive a «fallacious statement.» She added that the Rays are responsible for covering any extra costs that may arise with the project.

Peters also rebutted the Rays' argument that a completed stadium in 2028 is unattainable, noting that the county's deadline for issuing the bonds could be as late as March 31, 2025.

However, no bonds will be issued in the near future. The Pinellas County Commission