As the Rays return to Tropicana Field, fans hope they'll also return to form as the small-market team that punches above its weight.

Why it matters: When you're seeking a huge haul of local tax dollars to build a new stadium, it doesn't hurt to have the fans fired up.

• But the Rays are coming off two straight losing seasons and fourth-place finishes in the AL East.

⚾️ The Rays start their season Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Seats are still available, starting at $60.

• For those who've been following the stadium drama more closely than Spring Training, here's a rundown of what to expect this season:

👨‍💼 Meet the new bosses

Patrick Zalupski, Ken Babby and Bill Cosgrove are the new faces of Rays ownership, but fans are still getting to know them and their priorities.

• They've raved about the organization's baseball leadership, president of baseball operations Erik Neander and manager Kevin Cash, and pledged not to exert "any influence on baseball operations."

☔️ Farewell, rain delays

After a season of braving the elements at Steinbrenner Field, the Rays will be back under the rebuilt-but-familiar dome of the Trop.

• They'll play at their new-old home through the 2028 season at least, with the team hoping to open its new stadium for Opening Day 2029.

👋 Hellos and goodbyes

The team parted with notable members of last season's squad, including Brandon Lowe, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum and Shane Baz.

• To backfill, they did what the Rays do: budget trades and signings, netting pitcher Steven Matz and outfielders Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley.

🔥 The heavy hitters

The Rays are built around a strong pitching rotation and three key position players: Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz.

• The youngest of that trio, 22-year-old Caminero, is coming off a breakout season in which he finished ninth in the AL MVP voting.

📺 Where to watch

The Rays were among the teams that dumped the ailing FanDuel Sports Network, opting for MLB's streaming product, Rays.TV.

• A full-season package runs $99.99. The games will also be on local cable providers like Spectrum, per the Tampa Bay Times.

Tell a fan

Tampa's on the upswing, and so is its skyline.

• Here's the latest in development news across the city.

🤩 Pendry Residences Tampa announced that construction is underway on its $45.5 million penthouse, which will sit on the top floors of the 38-story hotel and feature 200 luxury condos.

• Half of the residences have already been sold.

🏢 Crews are past the midpoint of ONE Tampa's planned height, according to Florida YIMBY. The 42-story residential tower is rising on Ashley Drive in Downtown Tampa and is on pace to be completed next year.

• These luxury condos will feature floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces. But don't pack your bags just yet: Prices are over $1 million.

🏘️ Dozens of waterfront townhouses could be bound for West Tampa. Developers asked the city last week to rezone about four acres on N. Rome Ave. to make room for the residences, per the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

• The community would, if completed, feature three single-family homes and 37 townhouses.

👁️ Lions World Vision Institute, which wants to build a 30,000-square-foot vision center in Ybor City, secured $16 million in financing last week.

• The building is expected to open in March 2027 and offer pediatric vision care, including screening, diagnostics and community programming.

Spread the news

✈️ Tampa International Airport will, for now, be spared from President Trump's plan to send federal immigration officers to assist Transportation Security Administration agents. (Bay News 9)

🍽️ The Michelin-star-winning brothers behind Kōsen and the Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi announced their plans to open a new Japanese concept on the rooftop of Ybor City's Casa Gomez. (Creative Loafing)

😬 The Saint Hotel in St. Pete Beach could soon wind up under the control of a California real estate investment lender, which claims the boutique hotel's owners have defaulted on a $5 million loan. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

🪪 Immigration advocates warn that Florida's spin on the SAVE America Act could discourage noncitizens, who are in the country legally, from obtaining driver's licenses or IDs for fear of being discriminated against. (PolitiFact)

Here's a question the Torah doesn't specifically answer: "Can a Jew let his AI agent run over Shabbat if the last prompt was Friday afternoon?"

Why it matters: It's a post that went viral on X, and is one of many new queries that rabbis debate when it comes to reconciling how modern technology fits within millennia-old tradition.

Zoom in: Traditionally, Shabbat is a holy day when Jews must rest.

• However, they can automate machines to work for them.
• "In the Talmud, they would set some things going before Shabbat," like farmers who would set up channels ahead of Friday nights to direct streams to water their fields, says Daniel Nevins, senior rabbi-elect at New North London Synagogue, author of "Torah and Technology."

The other side: Sometimes Jews avoid something just to keep the spirit of Jewish law — even if it isn't technically against the law.

💭 Yacob's thought bubble: I am, by no means, a rabbi. But if you're using AI to create a website or make spreadsheets on the Sabbath — a feat that sometimes requires repeated prompts from the user — I'd call that working.

• If you're using AI, like Grammarly, to edit a sermon or asking ChatGPT to fetch a Midrash reference, I'd say you're in the clear.

Go deeper

Most Americans will likely soon be paying over $4 per gallon as the war in Iran drives one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history.

State of play: Prices were relatively low — below $3 on average — when the war began, so they're still below historic highs despite a more than 25% increase since the war began.

• Gas prices are one of the most visible and keenly felt forms of inflation, and have a disproportionate impact on lower-income households.

Zoom in: The current average of prices in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties is about $3.95, according to AAA.

Zoom out: In Florida, the current average is $3.93, just under the national average of $3.96, per AAA.

• A month ago, statewide prices averaged $2.87.

Share this story