Tampa Bay Rays for sale? Team in discussions with Patrick Zalupski group

Tampa Bay Rays for sale? Team in discussions with Patrick Zalupski group
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Seattle Mariners' newest player shares promotion with family
Cole Young announces his move to the big leagues playing for Seattle Mariners during an emotional phone call with his family.
Three months after stepping away from an agreement to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Rays took a much-anticipated step in their endless stadium saga: Attempting to sell the team.
The Rays announced on Wednesday that they 'recently commenced exclusive discussions' with a potential ownership group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski and two of his associates, along with 'prominent Tampa Bay investors.'
The Rays have been owned since 2005 by New York-based investor Stuart Sternberg, who in the nearly two decades of his reign has made finding a new stadium his top priority for the lower-revenue club.
Yet just as the club reached agreement on a sprawling ballpark project in the shadow of Tropicana Field, a pair of hurricanes devastated Tampa Bay last autumn, rendering the Trop unplayable and creating a fiscal and political environment that the club determined was untenable.
In March, they halted the project before a deadline to commit funds to it, putting the franchise's future in doubt. Meanwhile, the club has played at the New York Yankees' spring training stadium while Tropicana Field undergoes repairs; the stadium is expected to be ready for the 2026 season and the club has two years remaining on its lease there.
Sportico, which first reported news of talks between the Rays and Zalupski's group, reported that the negotiations are hinging on a potential sale price of $1.7 billion. Sternberg originally paid $65 million for 48% of the club in 2004.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

NBC Sports

32 minutes ago

• NBC Sports

Orioles at Yankees Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for June 20

It's Friday, June 20 and the Orioles (32-42) are in Bronx to take on the Yankees (43-31). Tomoyuki Sugano is slated to take the mound for Baltimore against Max Fried for New York. Baltimore is coming off a split of a series against Tampa Bay where 39 combined runs were scored. The Orioles are 16-6 over the last 22 games after going 16-36 through the first 52 games. New York lost six straight, which was a season-long losing streak, before ending a four-game series against the Los Angeles with a 7-3 win. The Yankees were swept by the Red Sox and lost three of four against the Angels mainly because of the offense. New York scored five runs total over their six-game losing streak, but bounced back with seven yesterday in a game that featured two rain delays. Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Orioles at Yankees Date: Friday, June 20, 2025 Time: 7:05PM EST Site: Yankee Stadium City: Bronx, NY Network/Streaming: MASN, YES, MLBN Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Orioles at the Yankees The latest odds as of Friday: Moneyline: Orioles (+188), Yankees (-229) Spread: Yankees -1.5 Total: 9.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Orioles at Yankees Pitching matchup for June 20, 2025: Tomoyuki Sugano vs. Max Fried Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano, (5-4, 3.38 ERA) Last outing: 4.2 Innings Pitched, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 StrikeoutsYankees: Max Fried, (9-2, 1.90 ERA) Last outing: 7.0 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 9 Strikeouts Orioles: Tomoyuki Sugano, (5-4, 3.38 ERA) Last outing: 4.2 Innings Pitched, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts Yankees: Max Fried, (9-2, 1.90 ERA) Last outing: 7.0 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 9 Strikeouts Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Orioles and the Yankees 'Aaron Judge has been cold lately with two hits and three walks (two intentional) since that game-tying homer in the 9th against Boston (six game span). His odds of hitting .400 before the All-Star break are barely worth a sprinkle now as he's at a .366 batting average. However, he is still -110 to +110 to lead the MLB in homers and with 26 on the season, he ranks second. I don't expect Cal Raleigh (27) to lead the MLB and Shohei Ohtani (25) is pitching now, so the wear and tear could affect the NL MVP favorite, so I think Judge is still a good bet to lead the MLB in homers.' Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Orioles and the Yankees: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Baltimore Orioles at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 9.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC. Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Orioles at Yankees The Yankees have won 13 of their last 20 home games against teams with losing records The Under is 41-30-3 in Yankees' games this season New York is 12-3 on the ML when Max Fried pitches this season Baltimore is 8-6 on the ML when Yomoyuki Sugano pitches this season If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Yahoo

35 minutes ago

• Yahoo

B vs. AEM: Which Gold Mining Stock Should You Bet on Now?

Barrick Mining Corporation B and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AEM are two leading players in the gold mining space with global operations and diversified portfolios. While gold prices have fallen from their April 2025 peak, they remain favorable, aided by geopolitical tensions, and are currently hovering close to the $3,400 per ounce level. Against this backdrop, comparing these two major gold producers is particularly relevant for investors seeking exposure to the precious metals prices have rallied roughly 29% this year, largely attributable to aggressive trade policies, including sweeping new import tariffs announced by President Donald Trump that have intensified global trade tensions and heightened investor anxiety. Also, central banks worldwide have been accumulating gold reserves, led by risks arising from Trump's policies. Prices of the yellow metal catapulted to a record high of $3,500 per ounce on April 22. Increased purchases by central banks and geopolitical tensions worsened by the Israel-Iran conflict are factors expected to help the yellow metal sustain the rally. Let's dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of these two Canada-based gold miners to determine which one is a better investment now. Barrick is well-placed to benefit from the progress in key growth projects that should significantly contribute to its production. Its major gold and copper growth projects, including Goldrush, the Pueblo Viejo plant expansion and mine life extension, Fourmile, Lumwana Super Pit and Reko Diq, are being executed. These projects are advancing on schedule and within budget, laying the groundwork for the next generation of profitable production. The Goldrush mine is ramping up to the targeted 400,000 ounces of production per annum by 2028. Bordering Goldrush is the 100% Barrick-owned Fourmile, which is yielding grades double those of Goldrush and is anticipated to become another Tier One mine. The project has progressed to a prefeasibility study on the back of a successful drilling program. The Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan is designed to produce 460,000 tons of copper and 520,000 ounces of gold annually in its second development phase. The first production is expected by the end of October 2024, Barrick announced the commencement of the development of a Super Pit at its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia. The Super Pit Expansion entails doubling the present process circuit's throughput and substantially boosting mining volumes. Upon completion, the $2 billion project has the potential to transform Lumwana into a long-term, high-yielding, top-25 copper producer and Tier One copper mine. The expansion is expected to deliver 240,000 tons of copper production annually over the life of the has a solid liquidity position and generates healthy cash flows, positioning it well to take advantage of attractive development, exploration and acquisition opportunities, drive shareholder value and reduce debt. At the end of first-quarter 2025, Barrick's cash and cash equivalents were around $4.1 billion. It generated strong operating cash flows of roughly $1.2 billion in the quarter, up 59% year over year. Free cash flow surged to around $375 million in the first quarter from $32 million in the prior-year quarter. Barrick returned $1.2 billion to its shareholders in 2024 through dividends and repurchases. Barrick's board, in February 2025, authorized a new program for the repurchase of up to $1 billion of its outstanding common shares. It repurchased shares worth $143 million under this program during the first quarter. Barrick offers a dividend yield of 1.9% at the current stock price. Its payout ratio is 28% (a ratio below 60% is a good indicator that the dividend will be sustainable), with a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of roughly 5.1%.Barrick, however, is challenged by higher costs, which may eat into its margins. Its cash costs per ounce of gold and all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) — the most important cost metric of miners — increased around 16% and 20% year over year, respectively, in the first quarter. AISC increased due to higher total cash costs per ounce and higher minesite sustaining capital expenditures. For 2025, the company projects total cash costs per ounce of $1,050-$1,130 and AISC in the range of $1,460-$1,560 per ounce. These projections suggest a year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the respective ranges. Increased mine-site sustaining capital spending and higher labor costs may lead to higher costs. Agnico Eagle is focused on executing projects that are expected to provide additional growth in production and cash flows. It is advancing its key value drivers and pipeline projects, including the Odyssey project in the Canadian Malartic Complex, Detour Lake, Hope Bay, Upper Beaver and San Nicolas. The Hope Bay Project, with proven and probable mineral reserves of 3.4 million ounces, is expected to play a significant role in generating cash flow in the coming years. The processing plant expansion at Meliadine was completed and commissioned in the second half of 2024, with mill capacity expected to increase to roughly 6,250 tons per day in merger with Kirkland Lake Gold established Agnico Eagle as the industry's highest-quality senior gold producer. The integrated entity now has an extensive pipeline of development and exploration projects to drive sustainable growth. It also has the financial flexibility to fund a strong pipeline of growth has a robust liquidity position and generates substantial cash flows, which allow it to maintain a strong exploration budget, finance a strong pipeline of growth projects, pay down debt and drive shareholder value. Its operating cash flow jumped roughly 33% year over year to record $1,044 million in the first generated solid first-quarter free cash flows of $594 million, up around 50% year over year, backed by the strength in gold prices and strong operational results. It remains focused on paying down debt using excess cash, with net debt reducing by $212 million sequentially to just $5 million at the end of the first quarter. Its long-term debt-to-capitalization is just around 5%, lower than Barrick's 12.3%. AEM also returned around $920 million to its shareholders through dividends and repurchases last year and $251 million in the first quarter. AEM offers a dividend yield of 1.3% at the current stock price. It has a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 10.3%. AEM has a payout ratio of 32%.Despite these positives, Agnico Eagle is still exposed to higher production costs. In the first quarter, its total cash costs per ounce of gold were up modestly from the previous year to $903. While AISC declined in the quarter due to the deferral of certain sustaining capital expenditures, AEM projects the same to increase in the remainder of 2025. AEM forecasts total cash costs per ounce in the range of $915 to $965 and AISC per ounce between $1,250 and $1,300 for 2025, suggesting a year-over-year increase at the midpoint of the respective ranges. While AEM is taking actions to control costs, the inflationary pressure is likely to continue over the near term, weighing on its profit margins and overall financial performance. Year to date, Barrick stock has gained 36.3%, while AEM stock has rallied 56.8% compared with the Zacks Mining – Gold industry's increase of 55.4%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Barrick is currently trading at a forward 12-month earnings multiple of 10.73, lower than its five-year median. This represents a roughly 23.8% discount when stacked up with the industry average of 14.08X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Agnico Eagle is trading at a premium to Barrick. The AEM stock is currently trading at a forward 12-month earnings multiple of 20.27, above the industry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for B's 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year rise of 13.7% and 43.7%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2025 have been trending higher over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The consensus estimate for AEM's 2025 sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 23.6% and 43%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2025 have been trending northward over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.) Both B and AEM currently have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), so picking one stock is not easy. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks Barrick and Agnico Eagle are well-positioned to capitalize on the current gold price environment. Both have a strong pipeline of development projects, solid financial health and strong earnings growth prospects, and are seeing favorable estimate revisions. On the flip side, both are buffeted by higher production costs. AEM's higher dividend growth rate suggests that it may offer better investment prospects in the current market environment. AEM's lower leverage also indicates lesser financial risks. Investors seeking exposure to the gold space might consider Agnico Eagle as the more favorable option at this time. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Barrick Mining Corporation (B) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research

Yahoo

40 minutes ago

• Yahoo

ArcelorMittal signs deal to sell its steel mill and iron ore mine in Bosnia

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -ArcelorMittal, the world's second-largest steelmaker, signed a deal on Friday to sell its steel mill and iron ore mine in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Bosnia-based Pavgord Group, the company said in a statement. The completion of the deal is planned for the third quarter of 2025, after all conditions for its implementation have been fulfilled, the company said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data