What’s next for the Rays? Ownership group member sheds light on plans to make Tampa Bay a baseball haven

TAMPA, Fla. - What does the future hold for the Tampa Bay Rays? For the first time since buying the team, a member of the team's new ownership group spoke about their plans to make the Tampa Bay area a baseball haven. 

Rays CEO Ken Babby, a member of the new ownership group, spoke with Nick Friedman, the owner of the College Hunks Hauling Junk moving company, on his podcast. Babby said the ownership group is fully committed to the area. 

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"We believe baseball deserves a forever home right here, in the region. And we're committed to making that happen," Babby said.

Big picture view:

Babby told Friedman what Rays fans have been desperate to hear: The new ownership group is aggressively pursuing a deal to put to bed the two-decade stadium saga.

"Amazing," said Friedman, "I got goosebumps thinking about all that."

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"We don't have time to waste," said Babby. "We intend to open a new ballpark by April of 2029."

FOX 13 has confirmed that the Rays have settled on the Hillsborough Community College site as their first choice. 

Next week, HCC trustees will vote on a plan to set aside 100 acres — the vast majority of their campus — for a mixed-use development. 

What we don't know:

The Rays are thought to be examining that site, along with potentially the state fairgrounds and Ybor City. However, in October, they said St. Petersburg wasn't off the table either. 

But, they still haven't said how much they're willing to put in or how much they'll ask for from the public.

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What they're saying:

"We're going to write a big check," said Babby. "We already wrote a big one to buy the team. We're going to write another one to build the ballpark. But we need it great public private partnership where the community, whether it be the county or the city or both, the state, all come together."

Another question would be what happens to HCC? Would they have to relocate or be incorporated into the new development? 

Babby told Friedman that they'll be modeling the site after the battery in Atlanta, which hosts the Braves and a selection of hotels, offices and restaurants.

"This is like building a theme park or a district in the middle of the city and the jobs impact and the economic impact and the tax growth and all the things that kind of revenues that come from that are remarkable."

What's next:

The meeting at HCC will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m.