San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria thinks the best decision for his former team in Tampa Bay is to move the Rays.
"Honestly, and this is maybe not something I should say, but my gut tells me that the best decision might be to move the team,'' Longoria told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday. "I say that only because I look at the example of the Miami Marlins, and (a new stadium) didn't really solve their attendance issues. So from purely an attendance standpoint, somewhere else might be better.''
Longoria explained in the sitdown that he's not convinced the franchise can be successful in the Tampa Bay market and admitted it was tough for him to play in front of such small crowds during his tenure with the club.
"It pains me to say that, but players want to play in a place where you have consistent support,'' he explained. "It's a selfish thing to say probably as a player, but, I don't know, does anyone really want to play in front of 10,000 a night? I don't know. I'm glad I won't have to hear the backlash again this time.
"There are a lot of dedicated Rays fans … and obviously it would be a shame for those people to lose the team. But you just hope there is consistent fan support, and it historically hasn't been there. I don't know that it's the easiest case to lobby to build a new stadium in the area. It's not a slam dunk.''
The Rays are signed to play at Tropicana Field (which is actually located in St. Petersburg, Fla.) through 2027 and have identified a site in Ybor City as a top choice for a new stadium. Longoria said he believed a stadium across the street from Raymond James Stadium, where the NFL's Buccaneers play, would be ideal.
"That would be the best thing, I think, just to make it in an easily accessible place where you know 30,000-40,000 people can get in and out easily because they do it for 80,000 at Raymond James already.''
Longoria was traded from the Rays to the Giants in December after spending 10 years in Tampa Bay.
