Tampa Bay Rays, local credit union partner for charities

The Tampa Bay Rays may have one of the smallest payrolls in Major League Baseball, but a new deal means its players will be able to raise a bunch of money for local charities.

The agreement isn’t with the players association or the league, though. It’s with Suncoast Credit Union.

The local credit union announced a partnership with the team Wednesday where it will give money to local charities every time a player gets a base hit or hits a home run. That means Suncoast will set aside $78 for every single, double, triple and home run and hand that money over at the end of the month.

The promotion starts May 1 and the max will be $15,000. Hits will be determined by MLB, and the official score will reflect the number of hits in each game, a spokesperson says.

As for which organization will get the money, Suncoast will spread the donations around the area just like — to quote a cliche from broadcasters of days gone by — a hitter spreads the ball around the field.

Here’s how it will work: “Each month three local nonprofit organizations will compete for votes to receive a percentage of the monthly total. The vote percentage for each organization will determine the donation amount that each organization receives.”

Suncoast says the vote will take place via a Facebook poll on its Facebook page.

The three inaugural nonprofits are The Children’s Dream Fund, HeavenDropt and The Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida.

Suncoast is Florida’s largest credit union with $16.3 billion in assets. It operates 75 branches throughout the state, with three more opening this year, and employs more than 2,300 people.