Tampa Bay Rays make major stadium announcement ahead of 2025 season
It was not the offseason that the Tampa Bay Rays and their fans envisioned, especially since it began with the challenge of finding a new home stadium for the 2025 season. After Tropicana Field sustained considerable damage during Hurricane Milton, it was determined that the stadium would be unplayable for the upcoming season.
While the damage to Tropicana Field is unfortunate, the Tampa Bay Rays did have some luck, as there are a number of minor league stadiums in the area. The Rays have agreed to play the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees.
Although it might be bizarre to see the Rays playing in the Spring Training facility, it will be interesting to see how it affects attendance for the 2025 season.
Steinbrenner Field only has a seating capacity for 11,000 fans, but with the Rays' historically low average attendance (16,525 in 2024), playing in a stadium closer to downtown Tampa could attract more fans and provide a new opportunity for local baseball enthusiasts.
Not only does this help the New York Yankees' image by helping out a local team needing assistance, but they will also benefit financially from welcoming the Tampa Bay Rays to their minor league stadium. According to Spotrac, the Yankees will make an additional $15 million in revenue as a result of bringing the Rays in.
One challenge that the Rays and their fans will face in their temporary home is the lack of a covered roof. Summers in Tampa Bay can be unpredictable and unbearable at times, so it remains to be seen how the humidity, heat and summer storms will affect the action.
Either way, the Tampa Bay Rays have found a temporary home, which is the most important part. Now the club can focus on building a roster capable of returning to the postseason.
The Tampa Bay Rays are not the only MLB team who will play in a minor league stadium in 2025
It's certainly going to be a unique 2025 campaign for a number of different reasons but one of the major areas that it will look different is the fact that two MLB clubs will be playing in minor league stadiums.
Not only with the Rays be playing at Steinbrenner Field, which is home to the Yankees minor-league affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, but the Oakland Athletics will be making their polarizing move to Sacramento next year as well. As part of the team's relocation to Las Vegas, the Athletics will play the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.