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Report: Rays nearing agreement for new stadium search

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The Tampa Bay Rays may have lost manager Joe Maddon this offseason, but they may not lose their team anytime soon.

The Rays and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman are nearing an agreement allowing the team to start exploring stadium sites in Hillsborough County, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.

The report stated Kriseman "would like to get it done within the next month but definitely before Christmas" so he can bring it to the city council for approval, Council Chairman Bill Dudley said last week. 

"If the Rays simply do not want to be here any longer, then they should be given the opportunity to compensate our city in order to look at other locations in the Tampa Bay area,'' Kriseman said during last year's mayoral campaign. "Throughout the negotiating process I will ensure that our taxpayers are protected."

One stumbling block for the team is their deal with Tropicana Field that forbids the team from negotiating to play in a new stadium until 2028. If a buyout was to occur, the team would reportedly have to pay to tear down the stadium.

It's early in the process, but it appears the Rays might be sticking around for a while.

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