Tampa Bay Rays news and links: It’s election day!

Pierre Trudel, a Montreal freelance journalist, tweeted on Sunday that Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg had commissioned a viability study for a hypothetical stadium in a specific area of Montreal.

Noah Pranksy of 10NewsWSTP, who also runs the Shadow of the Stadium, saw the tweet and asked the Rays for comment. They reaffirmed their commitment to the area but did not deny that the study had been commissioned. From Shadow of the Stadium, here’s their statement.

The Tampa Bay Times also wrote about the episode.

The thing to remember here is that whatever the Rays actually want to happen, they probably also want this rumor to be out there. It’s in the Rays favor for the politicians representing the various Tampa Bay areas to think there is a real chance the Rays might leave (unless that spooks the politicians and makes them hostile—it may be something of a delicate game). This is a negotiation, and what the Rays as a business benefit from is a stadium in a good location built with as much public money as possible.

Also, while we’re talking about public money, it’s election day. So remember to vote.

If you’re unsure about where your polling place is, or about the state of your voter registration, you can look all of that up here.

Actual Baseball

Dewayne Staats is getting some well-deserved props.

Baseball players look funny on skates.

• Jason Collette broke down Kevin Kiermaier’s improved patience at the plate.
• Beyond the Box Score highlighted Ben Zobrist’s recent playoff success.
• No Rays received qualifying offers. But Jeremy Hellickson got one from the Phillies.
• Also from MLB Trade Rumors, the Blue Jays are trying to resign Edwin Encarnacion, and the Yankees are trying to resign Aroldis Chapman.
• The Cubs did not activate their option on former-Ray Jason Hammel, and that’s kind of weird. Caveat emptor.