By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Major League Baseball hopes to find the Tampa Bay Rays a temporary home near their fanbase at least for the start of the 2025 season if the damage to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton cannot be repaired in time.
The translucent fiberglass dome at the ballpark in St. Petersburg was shredded by Milton’s winds, leaving its immediate future in doubt. A number of spring training sites around the Tampa Bay area have been suggested as temporary homes, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league wants a location in the region if possible.
“We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in (the Tampa Bay area) for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” Manfred said on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast.
“The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it,” he said.
The Rays have played at Tropicana Field since their inaugural 1998 season, although the building was constructed in 1990. The hurricane damage comes a few months after the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County approved a new $1.3 billion ballpark in an adjacent location that would open in the 2028 season, part of a much larger downtown revitalization project.
The city has hired the Hennessy/AECOM firm to do a complete analysis of the Tropicana Field damage and contracted with another company to remove the remaining roof material, said St. Petersburg spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle. The city has also filed a claim with its insurance carrier, she said.
“We will have more information on next steps once the analyses have been completed and the remaining roof has been removed,” Punzalan-Randle said.
City Council member Brandi Gabbard said she expected the analysis by the first week of November.
“At that point we will have a better picture of the path forward,” Gabbard said.
So, where would the Rays go if the Trop isn’t ready on opening day of 2025?
Suggestions have included local-area spring training sites used by the Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, Pirates and Tigers. A bit further away is the Rays’ own spring training complex in Port Charlotte, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) south of St. Petersburg. Another option may be the ballpark at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.
Most of those ballpark options host minor league teams after spring training ends, which could prompt significant adjustments to minor league team schedules. One way around that would be to play at the Orioles’ spring training site in Sarasota, which does not have a minor league team.
There has also been talk of the Rays sharing the Miami Marlins’ stadium, but that would be a major scheduling challenge and about a four-hour drive from St. Petersburg. A previous proposal to have the Rays play some home games in Montreal resurfaced, but the stadium there is undergoing renovation and would not be ready for next season.
The Rays declined comment Tuesday and have had said only that it could take weeks “to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field.” Playing there without a roof is another idea, but the Trop doesn’t have the drainage systems necessary in such a rain-prone location.
Another factor to consider is how much money should be spent to repair a facility that will be torn down for the new ballpark in a few years.
The Rays’ opening “home” game against the Colorado Rockies is scheduled for March 27, 2025, and Manfred said MLB, the team and other entities will come up with a solution.
“The one thing I can tell you for sure, they’re playing next year. We’re going to find them someplace to do it,” Manfred said on the podcast.