Sharing a MLB team with two cities makes absolutely no sense. It’s asinine. 

Apparently, the Tampa Bay Rays have received permission from Major League Baseball’s executive council to explore some sort of a plan for where the Rays could play home games both in Tampa / St. Petersburg and in Montreal, according to commissioner Rob Manfred. Business officials are trying to save the franchise from leaving Tampa Bay after multiple failed attempts of building a new stadium for the area. As the plan looks for the moment, the Rays could be playing their early-season games at home in Tampa, and then spending the rest of the season in Montreal. Both cities get new stadiums. The number of home games in Montreal or in Tampa has yet to be determined.

Look, this has to be one of the worst times to be disclosing this kind of information, especially to a team that is off to a good start for the season. Tampa Bay is holding its own in the always so tough AL East, with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. We know the Rays struggle with attendance, they play in an outdated stadium and most often times, with the location of the stadium, it’s a bitch to get into. There has to be a better way of releasing this piece of information amongst baseball fans. Like, why not wait until the offseason or after the last pitch of the World Series has been tossed?

The plan itself looks as though it’ll never happen, as St. Petersburg’s Mayor Rick Kriesman says he has already told ownership that he would not grant permission for talks with Montreal, as the Rays have an agreement/lease with St. Pete until 2027.

Imagine this plan as a player. It’s an absolute nightmare.

  • Where exactly would you call home? 
  • What do you do about your kids – switch schools constantly?
  • Paying rent or mortgages on multiple homes? 
  • What about the fans – the few, dedicated fans who still show appreciation though no one else does?
  • What do you do with the new stadium halfway through the year as it sits empty? Who pays for it all? Taxpayers?
  • Traveling with equipment and uniforms too – what do you have to pay for?

There are SO many questions in a deal like this – if it’s me and I’m making decisions, it has to be all or nothing. Choose a city and stick with it. Personally, I’d love for Rays Baseball to stay in Florida, look at Orlando if Tampa Bay isn’t an option. I’m all for expansion of the game of baseball – Honestly, I’m all for 32 teams and it can work with certain situations. Montreal deserves its own franchise, and it’s about time to bring back the Expos.

Let’s not share teams, please.

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