The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten permission from Major League Baseball to explore playing home games in Montreal. If this does happen, the Rays will play half the season in Tampa Bay and the other half in Montreal. So, Is Baseball Headed Back To Montreal?
Attendance and Lease Issues
The Rays have struggled with their attendance the past few seasons. They have finished last or second to last in that time frame. This season the Ray averages about 14,000 fans a game, that’s 29th in the league in front of the Miami Marlins.
There has not been baseball in Montreal since 2004. In the 2004 season, the Expos split games between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 2005 the Expos became the Washington Nationals.
One of the problems with this is that the Rays lease for Tropicana Field is until 2027, and the city of St. Petersburg will not break the lease. Mayor Rick Kriseman announced he will not consider canceling or alter the lease to allow the team to play games in Montreal. The MLB has played some exhibition games in Montreal in past years and the attendance was pretty good.
My Opinion
I feel the Rays are trying two things here. I think they are trying to put pressure on the city of Tampa Bay to build them a new stadium. The Rays have been trying to get a new stadium in Tampa Bay or St. Petersburg, Florida in the past 10 years. Also, maybe the Rays could be gauging interest in moving to Montreal. If this split-city thing happens and a lot of people show up to the games in Montreal, Tampa Bay could try to move up to Montreal for good.
Although it is a long shot, it would be nice to see baseball games in Montreal again. I am sure Montreal baseball fans would not mind baseball coming back to there city. Is Baseball Headed Back To Montreal?
