How Many Major League Baseball Teams Does Florida Have?
The answer is two. The Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins.
The Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team’s home ballpark has been Tropicana Field.
The Tampa Bay franchise was originally awarded to Cleveland businessman Vince Naimoli in 1995. However, due to financial difficulties, Naimoli was forced to sell the franchise back to MLB in 2002. The franchise were then purchases by Stuart Sternberg.
In their first decade of existence, the Rays experienced futility; they finished last in their division every season from 1998 through 2007 and finished last in the AL East standings for all but two of those seasons. The team posted their first winning record in 2008 and made their first appearance in the playoffs in 2008 as well as ALSO making an appearance in the World Series that year, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1. The Rays then went on to make the playoffs four more times – appearing in the ALCS in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2020 – but have not returned to the World Series since 2008.
The Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. Their home park is Marlins Park. Though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title, the Marlins have won two World Series championships as a wild card team.
The Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a Minor League Baseball team that plays in the Southern League. The team is located in Jacksonville, Florida, and is the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Suns began play in 1962 as an expansion team and have won nine league championships in their history, most recently in 2005.
