MLB Gives Rays Permission to Explore Splitting Time with Montreal

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In a move that surprises many, Major League Baseball has given permission to the Tampa Bay Rays to explore splitting time with their current city and Montreal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news earlier in the day.

The two-city approach would see the Rays start the first half of the season in Tampa Bay and finish the second half in Montreal.

Although they had a surprising 2018 campaign, featuring 90 wins and Cy Young award-winner Blake Snell, the Rays only finish above the Miami Marlins in average home attendance with 14,258 fans. This could be attributed to Tropicana Field’s location in St. Petersburg, which is across the bay (22 miles) from downtown Tampa. To put things in perspective, Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Park, who house the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants, are 16 miles apart on the road. Their Rays’ lease with the stadium comes to an end in 2027.

Since losing the Expos in 2004, Montreal has been a big player as a potential relocation or expansion destination. Although the situation is unique, it is something similar to what the Expos did in 2003 and 2004, playing 22 home games each season in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Something to Note for Montreal

Baseball in Montreal brings nostalgia, which may alter one’s perception of what once was.

Olympic Stadium, which housed the Expos from 1977 to 2004, was a multi-purpose facility but did not serve baseball well. This aided in the relocation of the Expos.

Attendance

YearWLAttendanceAttend/GRank
20046795749,5509,36916th of 16
200383791,025,63912,66216th of 16
20028379812,04510,02516th of 16
20016894642,7457,93516th of 16
20006795926,27211,43516th of 16
19996894773,2779,54716th of 16
19986597914,90911,29516th of 16
199778841,497,60918,48913th of 14
199688741,616,70919,95911th of 14
199566781,309,61818,18910th of 14
199474401,276,25024,54311th of 14
199394681,641,43720,26513th of 14
199287751,669,12720,60710th of 12
19917190934,74213,74612th of 12
199085771,373,08716,95210th of 12
198981811,783,53322,01910th of 12
198881811,478,65918,25511th of 12
198791711,850,32422,8449th of 12
198678831,128,98114,11211th of 12
198584771,502,49418,5498th of 12
198478831,606,53119,8348th of 12
198382802,320,65128,6502nd of 12
198286762,318,29228,6213rd of 12
198160481,534,56427,4033rd of 12
198090722,208,17527,6024th of 12
197995652,102,17325,9534th of 12
197876861,427,00717,8387th of 12
197775871,433,75717,7016th of 12
197655107646,7048,08411th of 12
19757587908,29211,2139th of 12
197479821,019,13412,7399th of 12
197379831,246,86315,3939th of 12
197270861,142,14514,6439th of 12
197171901,290,96316,1378th of 12
197073891,424,68317,8096th of 12
1969521101,212,60814,9707th of 12

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/20/2019.

The Expos ranked last in attendance in their final seven years in Montreal, and within the bottom half in 29 seasons. Although the city comes off as starved for the sport, past trends do not back that notion up.

Of course, the plan would be to build a new stadium in Montreal. The prospects are being spearheaded by Canadian businessman Stephen Bronfman, whose father was the original owner of the Expos.

The idea may be worthy of exploring but should be taken on as a major step towards relocation.

“My priority remains the same, I am committed to keeping baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come,” Rays owner Stuart Sternberg stated. “I believe this concept is worthy of serious exploration.”

Jeffrey Loria said something similar in a New York Times piece when he took control of the Expos in 2001.

“I want to strengthen this team in as many areas as I can,” he said. “As the new owner here, I feel I have an obligation to move things forward. No more business as usual. By establishing stability, commencing a new marketing program and bringing in a winning attitude and winning players.”

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