A Jacksonville group led by billionaire Patrick Zalupski have agreed to buy the Rays for an estimated price of $1.7 billion, according to The Athletic. The deal is expected to be finalized by September after negotiations took place over the past weeks. The Rays' principal owner, Stu Sternberg, bought the franchise in 2004 for $200 million.

The Athletic also reports: "Zalupski is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area, with a strong preference to be in Tampa rather than St. Petersburg, the source said." Sternberg, who originally took control of the team in 2005,

Four months after the Rays walked away from a St. Pete stadium deal, the city has memorialized its termination of the deal, allowing it to move beyond the failed transaction.

A group led by developer Patrick Zalupski is reportedly working to keep the team in Tampa rather than moving to St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Rays might finally live up to their namesake. A group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski is expected to buy the franchise for a reported $1.7 billion as early as September, and it wants to move the team from St. Petersburg to Tampa, according to The Athletic.

The vote, which is scheduled for Thursday, comes at a precarious time for the team as talks surrounding a potential sale intensify.

The proposed buyers of the Rays are not venture capitalists looking for a flip. These are Florida-rooted businessmen. Do they really care if the team is in Tampa or Orlando?

The Tampa Bay Rays will soon change ownership. Stuart Sternberg has agreed to sell the franchise to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for approximately $1.7 billion, per Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal is expected to be finalized around September.

The Tampa Bay Rays dumped many of their best players ahead of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline — a fire sale partially sparked because a potential deal to buy team fell through ...