when did the devil rays become a team
Tampa Bay Rays Finally, on March 9, 1995, new expansion franchises were awarded to Naimoli's Tampa Bay group and a group from Phoenix (the Arizona Diamondbacks). The new franchises were scheduled to begin play in 1998.
Marcus Álvarez
Brandon Backe In December 2003, his hometown team, the Houston Astros, acquired Backe from the Devil Rays for Geoff Blum.
Tampa Bay Rays Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay Area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in the 1998 Major League Baseball season.