Manfred says a Wahoo ban, the All-Star bid is not tied

Two-City Solution Considered as a Way to Preserve MLB in Tampa

Giving Rays permission to explore playing a part of their home schedule in Montreal is considered by baseball owners as a "way to preserve baseball in Tampa," according to Manfred.

Major League Baseball's executive council last month told Rays' owner, Stuart Sternberg, that he could explore the possibility of two cities, but did not specify a timetable. Rays have failed to get approval and funding in place for the new stadium they wish in the Tampa Bay area.

"I think it's too early to decide on the odds of success," Manfred told the Baseball Writers' Association on Tuesday. "I think the approval of the June owners meeting was a reflection of the fact that Stu worked very hard for a long time on the side of Tampa and on the St. Pete side to try to do something with point of view of a stadium.And then, it was sold to the owners, or to the executive council, as a means of preserving baseball in Tampa. "

Tampa Bay has played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg since the franchise took it in 1998 and has a lease until 2027. The Rays have an average of about 15,500 spectators per home game, 29th in the major leagues and ahead of the Miami Marlins.

"To address this recurring problem, I think the owners are willing to accept the idea of ​​operating in two markets," Manfred said. "We have a problem in Tampa, it has to be solved in one way or another, if it means we give up a potential expansion site to consolidate ourselves, so be it."

Manfred said that there had been no discussion of a complete movement by Rays. He also said the MLB would remain at 30 teams in the near future.

"It is impossible for us to bite into expansion until I have solved the Tampa and Oakland problems in one way or another," he said. he declared.

Long protection decision for each safety net

Extending the safety net on the demarcation lines is a rough decision because of different configurations, Manfred said.

Following a series of falsifications that injured the fans, the Major League Baseball imposed, in anticipation of the 2018 season, the nets extend to the end of each shelter. Still, several fans have been injured by big balls this season.

"At the beginning of this process, we recognized that it was very difficult to define an individual rule, a rule that applied to 30 different ball fields because of their structural differences. working with individual clubs over a period of time to extend compensation., "said Manfred Tuesday.

"We have made considerable progress in this area and I believe that this progress will continue and one of the reasons we have made progress is that we have not put the clubs in an impossible position by adopting a rule of "one size fits all". & # 39; & # 39;