This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/minor-league-baseball as On Board: Tampa Bay Rays' Top Draft Pick Daniel Pierce Signs First Pro Contract. Daniel Pierce, selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, has signed with the team.

Tampa Bay has been playing at Steinbrenner Field as Tropicana Field undergoes major repairs after Hurricane Milton

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 sixth and final Gator off the board in the 2025 MLB draft was catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay, who hit 32 home runs with Florida.

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,

The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly set to undergo a change in ownership later this year.

MLB is making a key decision about the Tampa Bay Rays stadium. The league is allowing the team to continue playing in a minor-league park.

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

Rays in holding pattern on deadline plans. The Rays will enter the second half a game and a half behind the Mariners for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.