The Tampa Bay Rays are one step closer to having a new majority owner. On Monday, Major League Baseball's other owners unanimously approved the group led by Jacksonville real estate developer Patrick Zalupski, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times .

Zalupski is expected to close the formal purchase of the franchise ( reportedly worth $1.7 billion ) later this week, officially obtaining the Rays franchise from Stuart Sternberg, who had overseen the club since October 2005 when he bought the team for roughly $200 million. Sternberg will retain a minority stake in the team. The Rays are not expected to relocate as part of the purchase.

Zalupski's first major order of business will, ostensibly, be landing an agreement to build a new ballpark -- something that Sternberg repeat

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