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Rays owner 'confident' team will find stadium site despite setback

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

The saga to find the Tampa Bay Rays a new stadium continues, as owner Stuart Sternberg remains positive despite the top five options being eliminated.

"We had some ideas on locations that just weren't available, that I thought would have worked perfectly, but they're off the table,'' Sternberg told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday.

While this isn't particularly good news for the Rays' chances of staying in Tampa Bay, Sternberg added, "it's highly likely there will be a workable site. So I'm confident."

The five sites that have been eliminated are a mix of three in Tampa and two in St. Petersburg, where the Rays currently play at Tropicana Field. And while the report speculates about the reasoning, Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan said: "Throughout the years, the (Rays organization) hasn't shown enough sense of urgency."

However, if the team began looking any earlier, it would have violated its lease agreement with Tropicana Field.

The news likely extends the search for a new site until at least the end of the calendar year, while an agreement with St. Petersburg to look elsewhere expires in January 2019. The Rays may also be forced to look farther away from downtown than they'd hoped, which could be problematic with regards to travel.

Sternberg added that he's committed to finding a long-term home for the Rays "to spend the next 50 years."

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