Imagine owning a team worth $1.25 billion. You’ve worked for years on a new ballpark, only to see it wiped out. Welcome to the joys of owning the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays should declare in writing whether they want to pursue an existing financing plan for a new $1.3 billion ballpark or walk away from the deal, a top county official says.

The Pinellas County Commission asked the Tampa Bay Rays this week if they're in or out when it comes to a stadium deal. The letter from board Chairwoman Kathleen Peters gives the Major League Baseball team a Sunday deadline to decide whether the club wants to proceed with a $1.