The split city plan was never realistic to begin with. The Rays won't do split city in 2028, the team will be moved completely by this time baring a local solution.
Use agreement still locked through the 2027 season. Rays denied an offer to look within Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties along the lines of what expired last year.
MLB will have to have a next plan. 8 years is a long time to wait. Perhaps they'll wait out until the next election in 2021 and try with the new mayor?
I don't believe the "split city" plan was ever really that.
We in Portland know "passive-aggressive." This was just like the contraction threat... and ended up with the same result. This was a passive-aggressive attempt to get someone to commit to funding for a new stadium. THERE WAS NO WAY that said stadium was going to be a half-time facility.
Have any stadium proposals truly advanced? It doesn't look like this method helped. They're better off trying to commit to a faux expansion...
...or they're even better off with what I'd call the Bournemouth solution. If MLB wants to play the stadium game, it's going to have to go sub-20,000 to do it. By this, I mean some existing AAA facilities. Maybe, in the process, they can even try promotion and relegation. (ducks from anticipating thrown objects)