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11/29/2006 1:00 PM ET
Rays may move games to Orlando
Plans under way to shift three-game series with Rangers in May
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Devil Rays are considering moving three regular-season games to Orlando to help efforts to expand the team's fan base.

Efforts to move the May 15-17 games against Texas from St. Petersburg to Orlando are in the early stages. Still to be dealt with are approvals from Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, the city of St. Petersburg and the umpires.

"We're exploring a number of ways to make an impact in Central Florida and grow our fan base," said Rays team president Matt Silverman. "And one of those involves moving some games outside of St. Petersburg. This fits well in our model."

Silverman added "these are just conversations at this point" and said such a prospect should not be construed as a precursor to relocating the team.

"The ultimate goal of all of these efforts is to increase the interest level and the fan support for the team and bring more fans to St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field," Silverman said.

Silverman said he did not know of any precedent in baseball for moving games.

"There are some examples in other sports," Silverman said. "The [Boston] Celtics in Hartford and the [Green Bay] Packers in Milwaukee. You think of the Celtics and the Packers as regional sports teams."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.