ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be a bit more optimistic on their chances of building a new stadium.

What You Need To Know

  • MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred met with Pinellas County officials Monday to discuss their delayed decision to finance the stadium

  • On Tuesday, the Rays released a statement saying they remain ready to work with all partners on a deal.

  • CONTINUING COVERAGE: Rays stadium deal

Their stance comes after Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred met Monday with Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch to express his desire to resolve recent disputes and keep the team in Tampa Bay.

On Tuesday, the team released a statement in the wake of that meeting.

“We anticipate that the Pinellas County Commission will authorize the bonds at their next meeting. As we stated in our letter three weeks ago, we remain ready to work with all key stakeholders to fill the funding gap their delay has created," Rays president Matt Silverman said

Peters said Manfred talked about his support of the deal and the fans but did not offer solutions regarding any financial concerns.

No one from the Rays was present during that meeting.

Also, Manfred met with Gov. Ron DeSantis last week.

The county commission will meet Dec. 17 to decide whether to approve $312 million in bonds to finance the building of the new stadium.

Before that, the St. Pete city council will discuss repairs to Tropicana Field during a city council meeting Thursday.