Sports
Rays' ballpark proposal survives initial narrow Tampa council vote
May 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Ryan Vilade (26) reacts after hitting an rbi triple against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Rays received initial permission for a long-awaited, $2.3 million ballpark.
The vote of the Tampa City Council on Thursday was 4-3 — not exactly the endorsement the Rays would have liked. The stadium issue in Tampa has been stopped and started throughout the years, and the City Council still must hold public hearings to listen to community input on the current proposed project.
So what the Rays have now is a non-binding memorandum of understanding that grants permission for the club to proceed with plans to build the ballpark. While the Rays cannot yet turn the dirt to begin construction, there is much that can be done behind the scenes.
The project is proposed to be built on the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough College, just across the street from Raymond James Stadium, creating an area that will include a mixed-use development.
The Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday also approved the formation of the non-binding memorandum of understanding.
Next up will be hearings on the proiect to give residents and business owners a chance to voice their thoughts and lead toward a binding agreement and eventually construction.
Per Front Office Sports, council member Bill Carlson voted in favor of approving the memorandum of understanding to move along the process, but he said he is not a guarantee to give final approval.
The Rays currently play at Tropicana Field, which is far out of date in comparison to modern stadiums. It also is in St. Petersburg and outside the team’s preferred locale.
The club had a plan in place under former team owner Stu Sternberg to build a $1.3 billion stadium in a public-private partnership, but Sternberg backed out. He sold the team to a group put together by Patrick Zalupski, a developer in Jacksonville, last fall.
“We are in the late innings of a very long game with the future of baseball in Tampa Bay hanging in the balance,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said before the meeting, adding commissioner Rob Manfred wants Tampa and the Rays to come to an agreement. “We have faith in Tampa Bay as a major league city.”
The Rays entered Friday with the best record in baseball at 33-15 (.688) yet still struggle to draw fans at Tropicana Field. In their past 12 games, attendance surpassed 20,000 only twice — and barely. A three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles that ended Wednesday averaged 13,145 per game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Frustrating season for Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. continues as A's await
May 20, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) kneels on second base after being forced out during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Fernando Tatis Jr. collected two soft singles in a game earlier this week that San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen thought were as solid as gold.
“Two hits,” Stammen said. “I don’t care what it looks like. It’s going on the back of his (baseball) card as two hits.”
It’s been that kind of season for the veteran Tatis, 27, who will keep trying to get untracked Friday night when the Padres open a three-game home series with the Athletics.
After his two-hit game in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, Tatis followed with a 1-for-3 night in a 4-0 loss to Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers on Wednesday. Tatis hit into a rally-quashing double play that got Ohtani out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, and his hit was an infield single in the eighth.
In his seventh MLB season, Tatis — who won the 2021 National League home run title with 42 — is homerless after 48 games. Only six of his 43 hits have gone for extra bases, and just three of the balls he’s hit all year have traveled as far as 370 feet.
In 2025, Tatis had 12 home runs and 27 RBIs 48 games into the season and was batting .289. This season: 15 RBIs and a .239 average for the three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.
After Wednesday’s loss, Stammen said the coaching staff’s role is to nurse Tatis through a stunningly long skid.
“It’s up to us to talk to Fernando and be able to pat him on the back and try to teach patience to him to help him get through this struggle,” Stammen said. “Probably the biggest struggle that he’s had in his major league career at the plate.”
While Tatis aims to find the form that’s marked most of his MLB career, teammate Walker Buehler (3-2, 5.01 ERA) will shoot for his third win in a row. He’s coming off a 7-4 victory Saturday in Seattle, where he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings while striking out six.
Buehler will face the A’s for just the second time in his career. The right-hander threw four shutout innings in his only appearance against them six years ago, striking out six and yielding just one hit.
The Athletics will counter with left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-4, 3.93 ERA), who’s coming off a 10-1 loss Sunday to the San Francisco Giants in West Sacramento, Calif. Springs yielded five hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings, with a walk and three strikeouts.
In three career outings against San Diego, Springs is 1-1 with an 8.31 ERA, with the win occurring in April 2025 in West Sacramento.
While the Padres dropped two of three games at home to the Dodgers this week, the A’s made the bus ride down Interstate 5 from Anaheim after taking three of four from the Los Angeles Angels. That included a 3-2, 10-inning win in Thursday night’s series finale as Zack Gelof’s fielder’s choice grounder brought in the tie-breaking run.
It was the A’s 14th comeback win of the year. They have built a strong offense based primarily on young talent, ranking in the top 10 in batting average (.249), on-base percentage (.329) and slugging percentage (.397).
Manager Mark Kotsay said there’s more in the tank than the team has displayed through 50 games.
“We still have a lot of room for improvement, which is encouraging,” he said. “Especially on the offensive side.”
San Diego has won eight of the teams’ past nine meetings.
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLB Best Bets Today: Guardians Value Play and White Sox-Giants Total
Apr 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images My “bonus” selection didn’t pan out on Wednesday, so let’s stick to two MLB picks today as we head into the long weekend.
Season Record 25-21-1, +1.12 Units
Guardians at Phillies
Okay, this is a tough one as we’re going against one of the top starters in baseball.
The Phillies roll out Cristopher Sanchez and he has so far followed up his top three Cy Young performances in 2025 with an even better 1.82 ERA encore 2026. The one mini knock against him was he did not have exciting strikeout numbers, Well, he’s up to 29.9% K% (91st percentile) and 32% Whiff% (90th percentile) while maintaining his extreme worm-burner ways (59% GB%, 98th percentile). His WHIP is “elevated” at 1.20 thanks to a high .359 BABIP and we can’t attribute that all to bad luck as he’s giving up harder contact than usual. Plus he’s got a bad defensive team behind him as the Phillies rank fifth worst in MLB with -8 Fielding Runs allowed (not including Catcher defense).
Still, why fade this, especially with a Phillies offense that’s hitting much better lately? Well the Guardians have excelled in this spot. They’re 13-4, 42% ROI on the F5 run line as underdogs. Also they’re 12-3, 58.1% ROI vs. lefty starters on the F5. They don’t have the most imposing lineup, but they’ve hit well against southpaws with a 113 wRC+, seventh best in MLB. Jose Ramirez not shockingly leads the way at .340/.438/.679 and 5 homers in just 64 PA’s.
The Guardians will start Gavin Williams, who sporadically flashes ace stuff but can also walk the farm. That hasn’t been a problem lately however as he has just a 3.7% BB% over his last six starts, vs. a 27.3% K%. Unfortunately that hasn’t translated to great bottom line numbers as he has just a 4.42 ERA. Like Sanchez, he’s not controlling contact well. But importantly his team defense is much better, so there’s serious potential for a lights out performance any time Williams takes the mound. I know it’s an uphill battle in this game but I like the price on the dog here.
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White Sox at Giants
I know the “bingo card” analogy is a little tiresome, but who had Davis Martin vs. Trevor McDonald matchup as a battle of budding aces? I’m overstating a bit, but Martin has a 1.61 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 56 IP for the surprisingly competitive White Sox. Estimators will always expect those sorts of numbers to regress, but he’s got a 22.8% K-BB% and 3.02 SIERA, so he’s been legit terrific. McDonald meanwhile has replaced the injured Logan Webb and way outpitched him with a 2.37 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 19 IP in three starts.
What’s most impressive is that he’s done that in very tough matchups (Padres, at Dodgers, at A’s) and the metrics say it’s pretty real as he’s rocking a 2.62 SIERA. It’s a pitchers ballpark and the Giants have a lousy offense, so runs should be at a premium here.
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Sports
Los Angeles Angels Have Become MLB’s Biggest Disaster Under Arte Moreno
The Los Angeles Angels have the worst record in the majors and they are run by the worst owner in baseball in Arte Moreno.
They also have the longest current playoff drought, which means even the Pittsburgh Pirates have been part of the postseason fun since the Angels last were involved in 2014. The last playoff victory? Try 2009.
The Angels gave out one of the worst contracts in baseball history by signing third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal in 2020 and he played in just 257 games for the club. They made another horrific decision by not dealing Shohei Ohtani prior to the 2023 trading deadline.
Not trading a huge talent heading out the door to free agency for a bushel of prospects set the stage for the team’s poor 17-34 record this season. The Angels have been outscored by 69 runs, the largest differential in the majors.
Los Angeles has dropped 89 or more games in each of the past seasons. The Angels have no future and no present to go with their very unproductive recent past that includes 10 straight losing seasons.
Fans have noticed as they broke out “Sell the Team” chants at Moreno this week.
Angel Stadium once had “Kids in the Outfield” but it’s now home to men who can’t play.
It’s also largely empty and very quiet – unless fans of the visiting team flock to the ballpark.
It was very loud last August when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking homer in the top of the ninth inning to help the Chicago Cubs notch a 3-2 victory. Cubs fans were everywhere and it was like Wrigleyville near the Chicago dugout.
Of course, late August is a time when there’s no reason for the locals to head to Anaheim with the playoffs out of sight. Playoffs is Fantasyland.
And it will be the same thing this summer with the Angels regularly sinking under first-year manager Kurt Suzuki and possibly saying good-bye to sixth-year general manager Perry Minasian after the season if not earlier.
The Angels have dropped nine of their last 10 games heading into Friday’s home contest against the Texas Rangers.
The victory during that stretch was of the amazing variety.
The Angels were being no-hit entering the ninth inning by Oakland Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn on Monday night. Adam Frazier broke up the no-no with a single and Zach Neto followed by delivering a walk-off, two-run homer.
The celebration was intense and crazy but at least nobody broke their leg like Kendrys Morales did in 2010 after his walk-off grand slam to beat the Seattle Mariners.
This time, it’s just broken spirits. The victory snapped a six-game slide but momentum didn’t follow.
The Angels allowed 14 runs on Tuesday and then lost in extra innings on Wednesday and Thursday. Frazier, the second baseman, couldn’t get the ball out of his glove Thursday on a no-doubt inning-ending, double-play ball and that allowed the A’s to take the lead.
Frazier is one of several Angels who should be shipped by the trading deadline. Others include third baseman Yoan Moncada, outfielders Josh Lowe and Jorge Soler, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, left-handed starters Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers and right-hander reliever Kirby Yates.
The Angels ought to revisit discussions with face of the franchise Mike Trout, who turns 35 in August, and see if he’s ready to go. It’s certainly a slippery slope for an 11-time All-Star in his 16th season with the organization.
But the team’s last winning season came in 2015 when Trout was the undisputed best player in baseball.
Trout no longer resembles that version of himself. He won three American League MVP awards, finished second four times and finished fourth once in the eight-season period from 2012-19.
Midway through this decade, he’s just another guy who plays outfield. He’s no longer a difference-maker and is highly injury prone. The 130 games he played in last season are the most this decade.
Trout is batting .233 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games this season.
Basically, the Angels need a full-on facelift. This isn’t an easy fix – that opportunity was there in 2023 and the club failed to act.
And this is the big mess that’s left.
Frustrating season for Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. continues as A's await
MLB Best Bets Today: Guardians Value Play and White Sox-Giants Total
