Because you can't pay $700 million? Tampa Bay Oh My, Blanket Kim Ha-sung, the construction of the new stadium anyway
Mar 14, 2025
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The Associated Press reported on the 14th (Korea Standard Time) 'We will not move forward with the construction of a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg, Florida, due to hurricanes and cost-raising issues'
Tampa Bay owner Sternberg said in a press release, `After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that we cannot move forward with the construction of the new stadium.' `In October last year, a series of unexpected events forced us to make a difficult decision" he said.
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay's home stadium, was attacked by Hurricane Milton last year and its roof was damaged and restoration work began. For this reason, Tampa Bay decided to accelerate the construction of the new stadium by playing a home game this season at nearby Stain Brenner Field in Tampa.
Initially, the new ballpark, which will be built in downtown St. Petersburg, was scheduled to open in 2029. The plan to build this ballpark has been completely scrapped.
Owner Sternberg said "Our efforts for the vitality and success of the race club remain unchanged. We are focused on finding a ballpark solution that will be in the best interests of the region, Major League Baseball and our club," he added.
According to a contract signed by the Tampa Bay club with the St. Petersburg municipal government, the plan was to play three more seasons and move to a new ballpark when the Tropicana Field roof was restored.
When the proposal to build a 30,000-person baseball stadium, which was considered a representative project in revitalizing the historic gas plant district worth $6.5 billion, was announced last summer, the AP raised tremendous expectations. Local government agencies have approved the sale of bonds to cover their share, but Tampa Bay clubs must meet certain conditions to get the public budget by the end of the month. This is a proof that the conditions can cost at least $700 million. However, the Sternberg club decided to scrap the construction due to the delay in raising the cost.'
In other words, the construction was forced to be canceled due to a setback in the Sternberg owner's funding plan. Still, owner Sternberg expressed his appreciation that St. Petersburg will do its best to restore Tropicana Field so that it can be used from the opening game of next season.
Tampa Bay will use Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' spring training home, as its home this season. It is a baseball stadium that can accommodate 11,000 people. It is not of the scale that Major League clubs can use. However, Tampa Bay decided to evaluate Tampa's marketability by looking at the number of spectators entering the stadium this year. In other words, the issue of relocating the Tampa Bay club's base could be brought up again.
Although Tampa Bay is struggling with financial problems, Kim Ha-sung, who signed a two-year, $29 million FA contract earlier this year, can exercise an opt-out after the end of this season, and even if he does not produce satisfactory results, he will be eligible for the FA again at the end of next year, so he is not in a situation to stay in Tampa Bay for long.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
