Just when the Rays finally settled their long-term facility issues, a natural disaster raised new, short-term questions about where the team will play.
Hurricane Milton last week rendered significant damage on Tropicana Field, the Rays’ home ballpark, most notably tearing the roof off the 34-year-old facility. A week later, damage assessment is still being conducted, and there has been little in the way of official statements from either the club or MLB. But at least two things are certain, significantly complicating the situation:
- Extensive rehabilitation will be required, including replacement panels on the metal frame of the roof, as well as other structural components and lesser issues such as signage.
- The ballpark is not designed for outdoor use. There is no drainage system underneath the artificial turf field, and many areas now exposed to the elements were not weatherproofed.
Last week, the Rays said that “over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field.” As that process continues, though, the Tampa Bay Times reported it’s already a foregone conclusion the Rays’ scheduled 2025 home opener on March 27 will need to be played elsewhere.
Looking Into the Future
This past summer, the Rays completed agreements with local jurisdictions to build a new $1.3 billion ballpark, also in St. Petersburg, Fla., and that facility is set to open in 2028. But that, of course, still leaves the question of the start of next season unresolved. Much like the often-fraught situation with the A’s playing for the next three years in Sacramento, any consideration of another venue for the Rays will involve numerous factors, including obtaining union approval, staff-oriented considerations such as relocation, and being somewhere accessible to fans.
Among the potential temporary options in the local area:
- Charlotte Sports Park (Port Charlotte, Fla.): This is the Rays’ spring training complex, located about 90 minutes south of the Tampa area. It’s an open-air ballpark, bringing in the normal challenges of Florida weather, and obviously not of MLB regular-season caliber. But there is obvious team and fan familiarity with the facility.
- ESPN Wide World of Sports (Orlando): The Rays began their 2023 spring training here while Port Charlotte recovered from damage levied by Hurricane Ian. The club also played a total of six regular-season games there in 2007 and 2008. But the Disney-owned complex is highly sought-after by youth teams, and finding the needed available dates could prove a challenge.
- TD Ballpark (Dunedin, Fla.): This is the spring training home of the Blue Jays, and it hosted some of that team’s games in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this facility, like the Tampa area’s other spring training ballparks, presents the same issues around diminished seating capacity and the lack of a roof, and it would also require further upgrades to meet MLB standards for regular-season play.
- LoanDepot Park (Miami): This is the closest MLB facility to Tropicana Field. This option carries many complications, however, including relocating team staff and the extensive number of overlapping home dates between the Rays and Marlins in the 2025 schedule.
MLB’s forthcoming offseason storylines already included the A’s saga, the ongoing bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, and the free agency of Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, but the difficult situation surrounding the Rays—including how the club and league respond—now ranks very high on that list.
