Manfred: Montreal plan is best way for Tampa Bay to keep Rays

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred believes that the best way to keep baseball in the Tampa Bay area is for the Rays to pursue a season-sharing plan with Montreal.

"People continue to believe that the two-city alternative they're exploring is viable and could be a really good solution for keeping baseball in Tampa Bay," Manfred told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday.

"I continue to be impressed by the energy that they've devoted to the project," Manfred added. "And to the fact there is significant receptivity among our group, and excitement in some quarters about the possibility.

"I am 100% convinced and, more importantly, the owners have been convinced by (Rays owner) Stu (Sternberg), that this is the best way to keep Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay."

Sternberg announced the Rays would potentially pursue a split-season approach during the 2019 season, with the team playing the first half of its campaigns in the Tampa area - in a newly built open-air stadium - and the second half in a brand new outdoor stadium in Montreal.

Talks seemed to be derailed somewhat in December, when St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman shut down the discussions, choosing to abide by the existing agreement to keep the Rays in Tampa through the 2027 season. Since then, the team has released statements saying it's still focused on "the Sister City concept."

Owners of the other 29 teams have largely chosen not to publicly comment on the Rays' situation. However, Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro - who operates the only current Canadian team in MLB - told Topkin he was "favorable to them exploring (the idea), and interested to see how it turns out." Shapiro also added that he is "certainly in favor of anything that impacts the baseball landscape in Canada positively."