Red Sox Rival Reportedly Sold To Florida Developer For $1.7 Billion

The Boston Red Sox swept the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend and entered the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak to end the unofficial first half on a high note. The Red Sox will return to game action on Friday when they begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on the road at Wrigley Field.

With baseball on the back burner to make room for the Midsummer Classic this week, news broke on Monday that the Rays have reached an agreement with Florida developer Patrick Zalupski to sell the team for $1.7 billion. The deal, which, according to The Athletic‘s Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal, won’t be completed until September, could keep the American League East rivals in Tampa for the foreseeable future.

The Rays, who have been playing home games in a minor league stadium owned by the New York Yankees all season after Hurricane Milton caused significant damage to the roof of Tropicana Field last October, have previously failed to get a new stadium built over the last few years under current owner Stu Sternberg due to numerous disagreements with Tampa city officials.

According to Drellich and Rosenthal, Zalupski, a Jacksonville native, has a preference to build a new stadium in Tampa before considering relocation as an option, saying “Zalupski is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area, with a strong preference to build a new stadium in Tampa rather than St. Petersburg,”

With Major League Baseball considering options for potential expansion during the next decade, league officials have been actively trying to get the Rays’ recent stadium drama figured out before expanding the league to 32 teams. The team is hoping to play its home games at Tropicana Field again in 2026 when repairs to the domed stadium’s roof are expected to be completed.