Could the Tampa Bay Rays move to Jacksonville? Not likely, here's why

(This story was written by a student journalist in collaboration with the University of North Florida.)

Could one of Florida’s two Major League Baseball teams be moving to Jacksonville?

In September, an ownership group headed by prominent Jacksonville businessman and real estate developer Patrick Zalupski announced that it successfully purchased a majority stake in the Tampa Bay Rays, following unanimous approval by all 29 MLB franchises and an announcement from the team.

While Zalupski is the big name in the ownership group, he’s not the only person with connections to Jacksonville involved in the deal.

Here’s what to know about the Rays' new owners and what direction they may take the team.

More on the Rays sale: With reports of Tampa Bay Rays selling, will the team move to Jacksonville? What we know

Who is the new CEO of the Rays? Who is Patrick Zalupski?

Patrick Zalupski is a real estate investor based in the Jacksonville area. He currently serves as the CEO of Dream Finders Homes, a publicly traded company he co-founded in 2008 that specializes in building single family homes.

Before delving into real estate, he graduated from Stetson University with a degree in finance and worked as an internal auditor for FedEx.

How much is the new owner of the Rays worth?

As of Nov. 18, 2025, Zalupski’s net worth is estimated by Forbes to be about $1.1 billion.

Tampa Bay Rays new ownership group, ties to Jacksonville

Aside from Zalupski, there is one other name in this ownership group with strong ties to Jacksonville: current Jumbo Shrimp owner Ken Babby. He brings years of baseball experience, having served as the current owner of both the Jumbo Shrimp and the Akron RubberDucks.

From July 2025: Tampa Bay Rays reportedly to be sold by September, Zalupski group paying $1.7 billion

Could the Rays move to Jacksonville?

Given what we know, a move to Jacksonville seems unlikely. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been vocal about his belief in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market.

“I see the Tampa Bay region, Tampa-St. Pete, as a major-league market, and we’re going to figure out a way to make it work in that market,” Manfred said in an interview with Chris Russo on SiriusXM.

Given that the new ownership group needed to be approved by Manfred and the other 29 MLB franchise owners, it makes sense that Zalupski’s group is prioritizing the Pinellas and Hillsborough County area. Babby said as much during the Oct. 7 introductory press conference for the new ownership group held at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“Plan A is to figure it out here in Tampa Bay. We’re confident that we’re going to get that done,” Babby said.

If the Rays were to consider a move further down the road, Jacksonville would be competing with many other metropolitan areas that, in theory, make more sense for the Rays and MLB. Over the past few years, they have been linked with moves to Orlando, Nashville, Montreal and Charlotte, all of which could provide stern competition for the right to host the Rays.

What immediate changes have been announced by the new ownership group?

During that same press conference, Zalupski made it clear that he and his partners will have no say over any moves that directly affect the product on the field.

“None of us and none of the partners are allowed to talk to or have any influence on baseball operations,” Zalupski said.

The most immediate change will be Babby stepping in to handle day-to-day operations as CEO. This is a position he knows well, having served in the same capacity with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp since 2015 and the Akron RubberDucks since 2012.

Where will the new Tampa Bay Rays stadium be located?

While the top priority for the new ownership group should be finishing the repairs to Tropicana Field after it sustained heavy damage due to Hurricane Milton in October of 2024, their focus will quickly transition to finding a new permanent home for the Rays.

According to Hillsborough County representative Ken Hagan, Zalupski’s group is considering multiple different sites in the Tampa area, including Ybor City, the Florida State Fairgrounds, the abandoned Tampa Greyhound Track and the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tampa Bay Rays new owner is from Jacksonville, will the team move?