Where will the Rays play in 2025? Taking a look at possible temporary venues amid Tropicana Field repairs
The Tampa Bay Rays are on the look out for a venue to host their home games after Tropicana Field suffered major damages, especially to its roof during Hurricane Milton. While possibility of moving to a MLB-like stadium, currently not in use, has been floated around, the organization will look to remain in the Tampa Bay area.
Tropicana Field has been the home of the Rays since its inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is owned by the city of St. Petersburgh. Over the years, there has been a lot of criticism of the stadium's build and its accesibility.
Problems increased for the Rays when the stadium suffered major damages because of the Oct. 9 natural calamity. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had asserted that the Rays will not need to move to any other city because of the Spring Training facilities available in the region.
"We can make it work in a minor league park," Manfred said. "I think there’s probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big league schedule."
The closest facilites to Tropicana Field include the following Spring Training sites within a 90 mile radius:
- Phillies' Bay Care Ballpark: capacity 8,500
- Yankees' Steinbrenner Field: capacity 11,000
- Blue Jays' TD Ballpark: capacity 8,500
- Pirates' LECOM Park: capacity 8,500
- Rays' Charlotte Sports Park: capacity 7,670
Tampa Bay receives return timeline for Tropicana Field
The Rays learned that they would require $55 million to fix the roof of Tropicana Field if they are to reuse the stadium by 2026. As per their current insurance policy that was changed in March, the city would have to pay $22 million in order to get a compensation of $25 million, leaving the taxpayers to pay the remaining $8 million.
The franchise had already ordered the construction of a new stadium, Gas Plant Stadium, last year. The team is supposed to move into their new home by 2028, which creates doubt over their current stadium's status.
If they move to a different stadium, there is uncertainty whether the Rays would want to spend such a huge amount for just two years before they finally relocate.