Major League Baseball’s executive council heard a formal presentation of the season-sharing plan in Montreal from top Rays officials, but took no action at the quarterly owners’ meeting that ended Thursday at Chicago.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said the committee of eight owners needed more time to review the details given a number of other pressing issues, such as negotiations for a new collective agreement and issues related to the contract with the media, rather than contesting the plan. The subject may be revisited soon.
“The board has not reached a conclusion on this point, but in reality almost exclusively because of the press of other matters,” Manfred said. “It’s a complicated subject. …We just have a lot of them right now. More to follow on that one.
The Board could have given the Rays permission to move from exploring the plan — which was granted in June 2019 — to pursuing it, which could help the team build support. The Rays plan to play in two new outdoor stadiums, starting the season in the Tampa Bay area (likely Ybor City), then moving around early June to Montreal. Playoff games would be rotated each year between sites.
Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said the board could take action by next month.
“Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball are pleased and encouraged by our progress and efforts to secure the future of the Rays in Tampa Bay,” Sternberg said in a statement. “We have presented our proposed pairing to the MLB Executive Council and we hope to receive more formal feedback in the coming weeks.”
The request involves changes to MLB’s bylaws, which makes the issue somewhat complicated. Although the next scheduled owners’ meeting is not until February, the board could meet and vote via conference call.
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