Tropicana Field needs to be demolished
With the Tropicana Field repair set for 2025 it makes more sense to blow it up and have the Rays play outdoors for a few years
It is now official: the Tampa Bay Rays are without a home for the 2025 season. Tropicana Field suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Milton on October 9, with the roof being completely shredded, necessitating repairs exceeding $55 million. Even if the city of St. Petersburg decides to proceed with the repairs, the stadium would not reopen until 2026.
Consequently, the Rays may be without a ballpark for the next year and possibly for 2026 and 2027, with the new stadium’s opening scheduled for 2028.
In the coming weeks, lawmakers from the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, the Rays, and possibly even Major League Baseball will consider the rationale behind investing $55 million in a park slated for demolition in 2026. The league is evidently prepared to contribute to locating a site in the Bay Area that can serve either as a temporary venue or until the new Rays stadium is completed.
The new 33,000-seat stadium is just part of the $6.5 billion redevelopment project, with retail, offices, and residences in St. Petersburg’s Historic Gas Plant District, slated to open in 2028. It will be located on the site of the current Tropicana Field, just outside the city’s downtown area.
Until Tropicana Field is ready, Rays can play in Minor League park
“We can make it work in a minor league park,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “I think there’s probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big league schedule.” He also made it clear that the league would assist the Rays in finding a home, even if it meant negotiating with other franchises whose stadiums could serve as a temporary venue for Tampa Bay.
MLB would have to help schedule Rays in a way they could share the park with a minor league team. The class A Florida State League has a team in each of the ball parks being considered.
Last season the Rays averaged just shy of 18,000 fans per game. So in a minor league park they could sell it out for the season. It might just be a boost for fans to come and see them in their new park.
MLB and the Rays have a short list of ball parks
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has targeted the end of December to collaborate with the Rays. They need to secure a temporary home at one of the six minor league parks in the area.
MLB and the A’s have already established Sutter Health Park in Sacramento as their temporary home for the 2025-27 MLB seasons. This demonstrates the league’s ability to adapt a minor league park for use over the next three years.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Major League Baseball have created a shortlist of potential sites for the upcoming season and possibly the next three seasons while their new stadium is under construction.
The teams with minor league parks under consideration include the following sites.
The Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater)
Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin)
New York Yankees (Tampa)
and Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton)
All manage stadiums reportedly in the running to temporarily host the Rays.
Local lawmakers can be very helpful in the process
In both Florida and Arizona, local cities and counties are the proprietors of the spring training facilities and stadiums. They work in conjunction with major league teams to upkeep and schedule these taxpayer-funded amenities.
The city of Clearwater owns BayCare Ballpark, the winter abode of the Phillies.
Pinellas County possesses T.D. Park, home to the Blue Jays.
Hillsborough County has George M. Steinbrenner Field.
For all potential temporary homes of the Rays, each is owned by the respective county and financed by local tax revenue. Thus, local legislators, in partnership with MLB, can negotiate the use of these sites as a temporary home for the team.
Staying in the Bay Area plays a factor in their local TV rights
The Rays are in the last year of their television contract with Bally’s Sports. As they consider alternatives for 2025 and beyond, they risk losing of losing the present deal. That happens if they relocate outside of the Bay Area, and certainly if they move out of Florida. Similarly, one of the reasons the A’s moved to Sacramento was to maintain their television agreement with NBC Sports.
Then there is the weather issue for some fans.
Yes, it is hot and humid in Florida in the summer and yes it rains during the summer so it will be a challenge for the Rays and their fans. But it is worth noting the Florida Marlins played at Joe Robbie Stadium from 1993 until 2011 before they got their domed park in 2012.
On average, the Florida State League (FSL) encounters about 10-15 rainouts each year. According to the National Weather Service, during the summer months, Atlanta usually receives more rainfall than Tampa. Atlanta experiences an average monthly rainfall of approximately 1.9 inches (48mm) in the summer (June, July, August). Tampa’s average is somewhat less, with about 1.5 inches (38mm) per month.
The Braves have built two new stadiums since the Rays joined Major League Baseball, and they play outdoors. Indeed, it’s hot in Tampa during the summer. But Atlanta is similarly warm, and yet baseball continues even in those conditions.
Common sense dictates time to move on from Tropicana Field
There could be a queue of individuals stretching from St. Petersburg to Daytona eager to detonate Tropicana Field. It may be time to proceed and play for three years in a nearby minor league park until the new domed stadium is finished.
