"They can play in my backyard"; "Tear that trash down" - Fans slam Tampa Bay Rays $55M plan to repair home stadium Tropicana Field
As large parts of Florida were affected by Hurricane Milton last month, the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field was no exception. The Rays' home field suffered major damage as pretty much the entirety of the roof was damaged by the dangerous winds, which reportedly went as high as 180 miles per hour.
As per the current estimates, it will cost a ballpark figure of $55 million to repair "The Trop," a major chunk of which is set to go towards replacing the whole roof. With the repair process projected to take until 2026, the Tampa Bay Rays must now look at alternative home field for the 2025 season.
On Tuesday, November 12, the popular baseball podcast 'Talkin Baseball' took to X to confirm the news.
Over the years, the Tropicana Field has come under fire for not being the most picturesque of locations for baseball, as compared to many of the other teams' home fields. Many fans when replying to the above post, voiced similar opinions.
"They can play in my backyard"
"Mother Nature intervened and said tear that trash down"
"This is God saying, “move somewhere else” a fan stated.
A couple of fans made a crack about the repair cost, with one saying it'd be a waste of money to put into a "pit."
"That pit is not worth putting $55m into. Besides, knowing MLB owners, they'd ask for public money to pay for it," one fan pointed out.
"The whole stadium isn’t even worth $55 😂😂" another fan posted.
Meanwhile, another fan proposed not bothering with repairing The Trop and just getting a new stadium.
"just open a new one. This sh*t f***in blows," the fan said.
MLB wants Tampa Bay Rays to stay in Tampa despite unavailability of Tropicana Field
With the Tropicana Field currently unavailable to host any games for the next year or so at least, the Tampa Bay Rays now find themselves in a race against time to finalize their home field in time for the beginning of the 2025 season.
Currently, various sources have reported that the organization is looking at numerous options, such as using the existing spring training facilities of teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees, per FOX News.
However, when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on 'The Varsity' podcast on October 20, he said that the major league authorities are still looking at providing the Tampa Bay Rays a solution much closer to home.
"We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in Tampa for them, that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing. We're going to find them some place to do it. The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored if we can manage it." Manfred said. [26:00]
Fans that go to the games regularly and the players themselves will hope that the MLB is able to eventually find a viable option in and around the Tampa area. That is so that the team can still maintain a close connection with its fanbase for the upcoming season.