Latest news with #PatrickZalupski
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Postseason-Hunting Rays Sale Reportedly Expected To Be Finalized As Early As September
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Tampa Bay Rays are on the edge of a playoff spot as the Major League Baseball season hits the All-Star break. Meanwhile, the sale of the franchise from owner Stu Sternberg to a group led by Patrick Zalupski is expected to be finalized in September, The Athletic reported Monday. ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 12: General view of a Tampa Bay Rays baseball hat during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field on May 12, 2024 in St Petersburg, Florida. ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - MAY 12: General view of a Tampa Bay Rays baseball hat during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field on May 12, 2024 in St Petersburg, Florida. Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images The sale of the Rays is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area, with Rob Manfred saying that they are hopeful for the stadium to be ready for opening day next season. The plans for a new stadium were set aside after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off the Rays' home, forcing the team to play at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the rival New York Yankees. While the $1.7 billion sale has been agreed upon in principle, the final stretch for the deal will happen over the coming months. Sternberg has been fighting to get the Rays a new stadium for the last 20 years, and with plans falling through or just lacking support, the Rays' owner has opted to sell the team. With a group in Orlando vying for a major league franchise, the choice to move forward with a Jacksonville group did not faze the group fighting for Major League Baseball in Orlando. The Rays declined to comment to The Athletic about the sale, and as the final processes of the deal commence, the Rays will be fighting for their chance at October baseball in the second half. More MLB: MLB Insider Tags Cardinals As Destination For 24-Year-Old Starting Pitcher
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
The year of the Big Dumper continues, plus poll results are in
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Don't get dunked on today. I must be honest with you this morning. I turned on last night's MLB Home Run Derby reluctantly, as the recent malaise over all-star games of all kinds had set in again. Would we really have to have this conversation all over again? And then the lads started crushing baseballs and I didn't care. The competition itself was electric. Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper himself, continued his swift takeover of baseball with a narrow win over Junior Caminero. I was anxiously standing behind my couch as Caminero flamed out in the championship round. That's a good thing. Some assorted thoughts from a pleasant surprise: That's the longest homer in Truist Park history. Also, Caminero got robbed by one of the outfielders. With apologies to Caminero, it was great theater. We'll see if tonight's All-Star Game continues the entertainment. Onward: Yesterday we asked a simple query: Who had the best Sunday? As you can see, most of you answered as expected. But I am delighted to see our second-place finisher. Two random notes from our results: Thank you, as always, for voting. Rays sale nearly done Rays owner Stu Sternberg agreed in principle to a $1.7 billion deal to sell the franchise to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski, a source told The Athletic. The deal is expected to be completed by September and, most importantly, Zalupski is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area. Let's just hope the sale hastens a stadium solution for the team. Plenty more scoop in the full story. Advertisement Taylor out at Fox Joy Taylor's time at Fox is over after the network canceled three shows yesterday, The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reports, including 'Speak,' which Taylor co-hosted. It ends a tumultuous year at the network for Taylor, after being named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against former network executive Charlie Dixon. Read Andrew's report here. Hold off on those CFP expansion plans SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said yesterday that, despite a 16-team Playoff seeming like a foregone conclusion, the sport could easily remain in a 12-team setup if conference commissioners can't agree on the structure, which very much seems the case right now. The Big Ten wants four automatic bids each for itself and the SEC, while other conferences seem to prefer the 5+11 model. It all appears quite fluid at the moment. See our full update. More news 📫 Love The Pulse? Check out our other newsletters. For most of the sporting world, focus on NBA Summer League departed with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Maybe that was a mistake. Just look at what Pacers second-year man Johnny Furphy did last night: That's a July basketball poster. Rare stuff. We're almost done: 📺 MLB: All-Star Game 8 p.m. ET on Fox Tarik Skubal vs. Paul Skenes. I still think this game is the best of the major sports all-star contests, but that's a low bar. If you're searching for something to watch, put it on. 📺 WNBA: Fever at Sun 8 p.m. ET on ESPN Don't like baseball? The W is serving this up opposite the MLB All-Star Game, as Caitlin Clark and the Fever travel to Connecticut to face the league-worst Sun. Stands should be packed, as most Fever road games tend to be. Get tickets to games like these here. Lindsay Schnell took her turn with an impossible undertaking yesterday, somehow trying to rank the best college basketball players of the 2000s. It was hard for me to argue with the top 10, too. See her picks. Try not to tear up reading this: Colorado coach Deion Sanders answered a student's question after a game in September. It changed the young reporter's life. Advertisement Andrew Marchand has a plan for MLB's future media plans. I think Rob Manfred should read it if he hasn't already. I can't believe a story about shoes moved me so much, but this did: on Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 cleats, his dog and how they made an old man cry. The first of our WNBA anonymous poll stories is here, with scoop on trash talkers and best athletes. We'll have more this week, too.
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Rays could move to Tampa after $1.7 billion sale finalizes
The Tampa Bay Rays might finally live up to their namesake. A group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski is expected to buy the franchise for a reported $1.7 billion as early as September, and it wants to move the team from St. Petersburg to Tampa, according to The Athletic. Current Rays owner Stu Sternberg purchased the team for $200 million in 2004. 3 Soon to be Ray's owner, Patrick Zalupski University of Florida 3 Damage done to Tropicana field after Hurricane Milton. AP There has been pressure on Sternberg to sell the team, as the Rays have been trying to build a new stadium for almost two decades. His most recent plan was to build a $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, but Hurricane Milton thwarted those plans and damaged the roof of Tropicana Field in the process. 'After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,' Sternberg said in a statement in March. 'A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.' Instead, the Rays have gotten a taste of Tampa this season as they've played their home games at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees spring training ballpark. Rays fans in Tampa have seemingly shown support for the team as they fill almost 90 percent of the 11,000-person capacity stadium on average. Comparing those numbers to last year at Tropicana Field, they could only manage to fill 38 percent of the 45,300-seat stadium on average. 3 Ryan Pepiot pitching at Steinbrenner Field. Getty Images Zalupski, founder, chairman and CEO of Florida-based homebuilder Dream Finders Homes, is no stranger to owning baseball teams. He already counts minor league franchises the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Akron Rubber Ducks as part of his portfolio. Now, he's on the brink of adding a major league franchise, and maybe even getting them a long sought-after home in a new place.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Tampa Bay Rays valued at $1.7 billion in reported sale agreement
An agreement in principle has been reached for Major League Baseball 's Tampa Bay Rays to be sold to real estate developer Patrick Zalupski for approximately $1.7 billion, according to The Athletic. The deal, expected to be finalized by September - potentially before the end of the current MLB season - would keep the franchise in the Tampa Bay region. The Rays, currently 50-47 and battling for a wildcard spot in the American League, have made two World Series appearances, losing to the Phillies in 2008 and the Dodgers in 2020. Despite their on-field competitiveness, the team has consistently ranked among the least valuable MLB franchises. Forbes valued the Rays at $1.25 billion in March 2025, second-lowest among MLB's 30 teams. Current owner Stu Sternberg , who bought the franchise in 2004 for $200 million, revealed last month that the club had entered exclusive negotiations with Zalupski, a Jacksonville-based real estate executive. That dialogue now appears to have culminated in a deal. One major question surrounding the team has been its stadium situation. The Rays recently withdrew from an agreement with St. Petersburg officials to construct a new stadium, casting uncertainty over their long-term home. Complicating matters, Tropicana Field - where the Rays have played since their 1998 debut - suffered roof damage from Hurricane Milton in October 2024. Live Events With repairs ongoing, the team is set to play its 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, typically used by the New York Yankees for spring training. The Rays aim to return to Tropicana Field in 2026. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Deal made in principle to sell MLB Rays for $1.7 bn: report
A deal in principle has been struck to sell MLB's Tampa Bay Rays, whose domed home stadium Tropicana Field is seen in tatters after Hurricane Milton struck (JOE RAEDLE) An agreement in principle has been reached for Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays to be acquired by developer Patrick Zalupski for about $1.7 billion, The Athletic reported Monday. The deal is expected to be completed as soon as September, possibly before the end of the current MLB season, and keep the club in the Tampa region, the sports news website owned by The New York Times said, quoting an unnamed source. Advertisement At 50-47, the Rays are fourth in the American League East division and seventh overall in the AL, in the fight for a wildcard playoff berth. The Rays have twice reached the World Series, losing to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. Forbes magazine ranked the Rays as the second-least valued MLB club at $1.25 billion in March, with only the Miami Marlins below them among the 30 MLB teams, at $1.05 billion. The Rays, whose owner Stu Sternberg purchased the team for $200 million in 2004, said last month they were in exclusive talks with Jacksonville real estate executive Zalupski about a sale. Advertisement The team pulled out of a deal with officials in St. Petersburg to build a new stadium, leaving in doubt the club's future home after the expiration of their lease at the domed Tropicana Field. Damage from Hurricane Milton tore apart the roof of the stadium last October and has forced the team to play home games for the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in nearby Tampa, the pre-season training home of the New York Yankees. Repairs are being made to Tropicana Field, with hopes the Rays will play there for the 2026 season. js/dw
