Tampa Bay Rays in talks to sell team
Why it matters: The potential sale raises more questions about the future of the team just a few months after plans to build a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg fell apart.
State of play: The discussions, first reported by Sportico, are with a group led by Patrick Zalupski, a Jacksonville home builder; Ken Babby, who owns the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp minor league baseball team; and Bill Cosgrove, the CEO of an Ohio-based mortgage firm.
Unnamed "prominent Tampa Bay investors" are also part of the group, per the Rays' statement.
"Neither the Rays nor the group will have further comment during the discussions," it goes on to say.
The intrigue: The potential deal values the team at $1.7 billion, per the Sportico report. The sports business news outlet also reported that Zalupski had signed a letter of intent to buy the team.
Current owner Stuart Sternberg bought the team in 2004 for $200 million.
Between the lines: The stadium plan's unraveling put Sternberg at odds with local elected officials, making the odds of a deal revival appear slim to none.
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